18 dead in attack by militant in egypt

18 people killed by militant in an attack on Monday on a security convoy Egypt’s North Sinai, there was a jihadist insurgency battle between police and troops, security and medical sources said.


The attack was confirmed by the interior ministry around the town of Bir al-Abed and had caused deaths and injuries but did not provide a toll.

Monday’s incident took place when a vehicle tried to break through a security convoy passing between Qantara near the Egyptian port city of Ismailiya, and El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai.
IS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it killed eight Egyptian soldiers in an ambush on the outskirts of El-Arish, according to the Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with IS.

“As the forces dealt with the car, it blew up,” the ministry said.The explosion was followed by a shootout with “militant elements who were hiding in the desert area alongside the road,” the ministry said. “This led to the martyrdom of some of the convoy’s individuals and the injury of others,” it said.
It was not immediately clear whether any civilians were among the dead.
While based in North Sinai, the IS affiliate in Egypt has carried out attacks elsewhere including in Cairo, and has claimed attacks that have killed more than 100 Coptic Christians since December.