CAIRO: Egypt says its security forces have killed 10 militants in a shootout in the city of el-Arish in the turbulent northern Sinai Peninsula.
A statement Tuesday by the Interior Ministry, which oversees security, said the shootout took place on a deserted farm used by the militants as a hideout. It did not say when the battle took place.
News of the fighting came a day after Libya’s self-styled National Army said it captured one of the most wanted militants in Egypt, Hisham el-Ashmawi, who is suspected of involvement in high-profile attacks in Egypt, including a 2013 failed assassination attempt against the interior minister at the time.
Militants now led by the Islamic State group have for years been battling Egyptian security forces in northern Sinai.