BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- has decided to hold a 3-day national mourning for soldiers killed and injured in a deadly assault in the Sinai Peninsula.

On Sunday, a group of Islamist gunmen crossed from the Gaza Strip into Egypt and attacked a security checkpoint south of Rafah, killing 16 police and wounding several others. They then stole two armoured vehicles and headed to nearby , where they were killed by Israeli fire.

Egypt branded the Islamist gunmen as "infidels" and promised on Monday to launch a crackdown following the massacre that strained Cairo’s ties with both Israel and Palestinians. The attack was one of the bloodiest in the Sinai in years and the deadliest against Egyptian troops.

The Israeli military said the attack was part of a plot to abduct an Israeli soldier. Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the attack again raised the need for determined Egyptian action to enforce security and prevent terror in the Sinai.

(Source: CNTV.cn)