Egypt says fighting in central Sinai leaves 10 soldiers dead

CAIRO / AP

Extremists killed 10 Egyptian soldiers in fighting in a central part of the restive Sinai Peninsula during an army raid on a militant hideout early Thursday, the military said, a toll that underscored its continuing challenges to rein in insurgents in the area.
Army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai said troops killed 15 extremists and took seven prisoners in the raid, but that three officers and seven enlisted men were killed by roadside bombs while in pursuit of the militants.
Egypt has been battling an insurgency in northern Sinai for years, mainly by militants from an IS affiliate. The army has been increasingly saying it is taking the fight deeper into the peninsula’s sparsely populated desert and mountainous areas, such as Jebel Halal and near the town of Hassana, targeting insurgent weapons depots and strongholds. Troops destroyed a large amount of explosives in the raid and seized other weapons, ammunition and equipment, including roadside bombs, computers, solar panels, documents and mobile phones, al-Rifai said.