SINAI, Egypt
The Egyptian army on Thursday said five of its personnel had been killed in an exchange of fire near a number of security checkpoints in the northern Sinai Peninsula, while local medical sources put the death toll at 16, including three civilians.
"Simultaneous clashes broke out at dawn Thursday between groups of terrorists and security forces near a number of security checkpoints in Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid cities," Egyptian army spokesman Ahmed Samir said on Facebook.
Samir said the confrontations had left five checkpoint guards dead and others injured.
He also said army forces had killed 15 "terrorists" in the dawn confrontations.
He went on to assert that troops were pursuing the remaining assailants in areas near the site of the clashes.
Earlier Thursday, Egyptian military helicopters struck suspected militant hideouts in Sheikh Zuweid, according to Anadolu Agency's reporter in North Sinai, after militants fired on three security checkpoints on a highway linking Sheikh Zuweid to Al-Arish.
A local medical source put the death toll from Thursday's triple attack at 13 military personnel – one army officer and twelve soldiers – and three civilians.
Egyptian army forces have since closed the highway where the attacks took place, according to a security source.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, similar attacks in the past have been claimed by the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis militant group.
For over a year, Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on militants in the Sinai Peninsula, which shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The campaign comes amid a spike in militant attacks on security personnel since the 2013 ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi by the army.
