Egypt army thwarts attacks on North Sinai checkpoints

The Egyptian army has foiled a plot by militants to attack a number of security checkpoints on Friday morning, state news agency MENA reported.

The army said in a statement that the third field army pushed back an attack by gunmen on a checkpoint, killing nine militants and injuring 16 others.

In mid-October, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi extended a state of emergency in designated areas of the North Sinai governorate for three months, starting 31 October.

The Egyptian army and police have been battling an entrenched Islamist insurgency for several years in North Sinai.

Source: Ahram Online