Six people were killed and 18 wounded in what security officials described as simultaneous attacks by militants on more than a dozen army and police positions in the restive Sinai Peninsula.
The officials say the attacks rocked three cities and towns late Thursday, targeting an army base, a hotel, a police club and several checkpoints. The militants used a car bomb and fired mortar rounds. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Sinai is the home of an Islamic State affiliate previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has launched several attacks against the police and the army in recent years. The attacks have intensified since the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
