Egypt: Sinai peninsula attack kills 17

 

At least 17 people have been killed by militants in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, according to security sources.

Officials say 15 soldiers and two civilians died when gunmen attacked military checkpoints on Thursday.
Egyptian forces have been fighting a faction affiliated to the Islamic State group, known as Sinai Province.



Dozens of soldiers and civilians have already been killed this year in northern Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.
In the latest incident, gunmen fired on soldiers with automatic rifles and rockets as part of a coordinated set of attacks, police officials say.
The army claimed to have killed at least 70 suspected militants in March.
Sinai Province was known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis until it pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in November.
It said it was behind most of the major attacks in Sinai, including a series of strikes that left at least 30 people dead on 29 January.
Militants based in Sinai have killed hundreds of soldiers and police since the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.