Militants kill 6 police in north Sinai: Egypt officials

Six policemen died at the hands of militants in attacks in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

1 min read

26 June, 2019

Damage in the North Sinai after a gun and bombing attack in 2017 [AFP/Getty]

Militants attacked three police checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula late on Tuesday, killing at least six policemen and wounding eight other officers, security officials said.

The officials said at least four militants were killed, including a suicide bomber who set off his explosives at one of the checkpoints attacked in the coastal city of al-Arish late Tuesday.

The officials agreed to provide the details only if not quoted by name because they were not authorised to brief the media.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, although they bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State group.

Egypt's government has been battling Islamist militants centered in northern Sinai. The insurgency intensified after the military ousted an elected but divisive Islamist president amid mass protests in 2013.

The ousted president Mohamed Morsi, 67, died last week while making a speech in court.