Sinai attacks kill 2 Egyptian troops, dozens militants

By Khaled al-Jayoushi

CAIRO

Two Egyptian troops and dozens militants were killed in a fresh spate of attacks in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Monday.

An army officer and a conscript were killed in two roadside bomb blasts in North Sinai’s city of Sheikh Zuweid, a local security source told Anadolu Agency.

Egyptian forces responded with airstrikes on a suspected militant hideout in the city, killing 20 militants, the source added anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media.

There was no comment from the Egyptian army on the report.

Northern Sinai has seen an uptick in militant attacks in recent weeks in which dozens of soldiers were killed.

Since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president -- was ousted in a military coup, hundreds of Egyptian security personnel deployed in Sinai have been killed amid an ongoing militant insurgency.

The Egyptian security forces, meanwhile, continue to wage a fierce campaign -- involving elements from both the police and the army -- against what they describe as Sinai-based "terrorist groups".

Egypt’s army-backed authorities say they are battling the Welayat Sinai (Province of Sinai) group, which is said to have links to the Daesh terrorist organization.