ARISH, Egypt, December 22, SPA--Egyptian border guards arrested 11 African refugees who were trying to cross illegally into Israel early Saturday, a security official said, according to AP. Five of refugees were injured during the confrontation, the official said. Guards opened fire on the refugees when they refused to surrender, injuring one of them in the knee before arresting them about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the Rafah crossing point in the central Sinai Peninsula, the official said. Four others were injured after they tried to jump over barbed wire on borderline, said the official. The wounded were transferred to el-Arish hospital for treatment. The arrests came a day after an Egyptian border guard was killed during a confrontation with smugglers who helped a larger group of refugees to cross into Israel, said the security official.
