ANKARA
Turkey condemned Thursday's deadly attacks on several security checkpoints in Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula.
"We condemn the terrorist attacks that were perpetrated against several security checkpoints in the northern Sinai Peninsula, and we wish God’s mercy on those who lost their lives, convey our sympathies to their families and wish for the speedy recovery of the wounded," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
The Egyptian army on Thursday said that 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.
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.
