Egyptian Army Kills 8 Suspected Extremists in Sinai

Local Editor

Eight suspected extremists were killed in a shootout in Egypt's Sinai, the army said on Monday, as more troops were deployed to the peninsula where a car bomb killed dozens recently last week.

An army statement said that seven "terrorists and criminals" were arrested after the shootout, which took place on Sunday in North Sinai, without specifying exactly where the fighting occurred.

The military's announcement on its official Facebook page comes after a suicide car bombing at a military checkpoint in North Sinai killed at least 30 troops on Friday.

The bombing was one of the deadliest attacks targeting security forces since the army ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi last year [2013].

Moreover, the military said additional forces were fanning out across the rugged peninsula, accompanied by special police units.

The authorities have imposed a three-month curfew in some parts of North Sinai in response to the bombing, which Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said was carried out with the help of "external powers".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team