Soldier killed in clashes with militants in Egypt's Sinai

By Omar Azzam

CAIRO

One soldier has reportedly been killed and another two injured in clashes with militants in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula.

Clashes erupted on Sunday between army forces and unidentified gunmen in the North Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

One soldier was killed and two others -- an officer and a soldier -- were injured in the clashes, witnesses said.

Military spokesman Mohamed Samir said the same day that Egyptian warplanes on Friday had struck a number of "arms depots" in North Sinai.

According to Samir, 60 "terrorists" have been killed and another 40 injured in recent security sweeps carried out across North Sinai.

Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely elected president -- in a 2013 military coup, the northern Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of a deadly insurgency against security personnel.

In recent months, the "Welayet Sinai" ("Province of Sinai") group -- said to be linked to the Daesh terrorist organization -- has claimed responsibility for a spate of deadly attacks in the region, which shares borders with both Israel and the blockaded Gaza Strip.