| File photo: Egyptian soldiers guard the entrance to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Sinai, Egypt, November 6, 2015. AP |
Six Egyptian soldiers were killed on Friday when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula where Egypt is fighting an insurgency, an army statement said.
Attacks targeting security forces have been common since Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was ousted in 2013 following mass protests against his rule.
“Armed terrorists attacked one of the security checkpoints in Arish city, using handbombs and firearms,” the statement said.
Security searched the area and chased the gunmen, it added.
Two of the gunmen were killed and one was injured during the exchange of fire that lasted about half an hour, security sources said. Four army personnel were also injured, they added.
Egypt is fighting an insurgency against Islamist militants affiliated with Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula where hundreds of security forces have been killed since Mursi’s ouster.