Egypt launches air raids on Sinai following militant attacks

Egyptian war planes launched air raids on the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, following the killing of 12 soldiers at a checkpoint by suspected Islamic State group militants a day earlier.

The Egyptian military said that the aircraft took off at dawn for a reconnaissance mission on the troubled north of the peninsular and that bombing has lasted several hours and is still continuing.

Cairo claims its war planed are assaulting hideouts of IS-linked militants believed to have been involved in Friday's attack on soldiers posted in the region.

The military claims that militants have been killed and the insurgents' weapons destroyed.

On Friday, IS-linked militants fired rockets and mortar rounds at an army checkpoint close to el-Arish, killing 12 Egyptian troops.

The area has become increasingly volatile following the overthrow of dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and a military coup against President Mohamad Morsi in 2013.

Since then, the Egyptian military have battled the militants in the north of the country who appear to be growing in strength.

Last year, IS claimed it planted a bomb on a Russian airliner travelling from the Sinai, which went down over the peninsular killing all 224 people on board.