Two Egyptian soldiers killed in 'IS attack' in northern Sinai

Two Egyptian soldiers were killed in a militant attack in the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, it emerged Tuesday.

Eyewitnesses told The New Arab's Arabic language service that gunmen, believed to be linked to Islamic State group, ambushed the army convoy in the town Sheikh Zuweid.

Ambulances rushed to the scene of the attack and the dead and wounded were transferred to hospital, the sources added.

Medical sources at al-Arish hospital told the The New Arab that two were killed and four wounded in the attack.

Among the injured is believed to be a high ranking official.

Egyptian officials said the attack occurred late Monday in Sheikh Zuweid, claiming one life and wounding three other policemen who were then taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Separately, Egyptian officials said security forces killed 13 suspected militants in a raid on Tuesday in El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai.

They say police found weapons and explosives in the hideout, and forensic teams are now identifying the bodies.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorised to talk to reporters.

Egypt has for years been fighting an insurgency in North Sinai that escalated after the military's 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests.

Read also: Egypt builds a wall around Sharm el-Sheikh to 'keep out terrorists and Bedouins'

The military has launched a nationwide offensive since February 2018 against Islamist militants focusing on North Sinai where a local affiliate of the Islamic State group is based.

Some 750 suspected jihadists and around 60 soldiers have since been killed, according to official figures.

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