| Egypt attack kills 20 Sinai militants |
CAIRO Egyptian helicopter gunships killed 20 militants in Sinai on Wednesday, state media and the army said, as protests erupted in Egypt’s Al Arish town in the Sinai Peninsula after clashes escalated between armed men and security forces and President Mohamed Mursi, ordered spy chief Murad Muwafi to retire in a shuffle of military and intelligence ranks after the deadliest militant attack on troops in decades.
Abdel Wahab Mabruk, the governor of North Sinai where a weekend attack that killed 16 soldiers took place, was also sacked.
The military’s strikes on Tumah village — its first in the peninsula for decades — were carried out as security forces massed near Rafah on the Gaza border for what they called a decisive confrontation with the militants.
A military official in Sinai said “20 terrorists were killed” in helicopter raids and when soldiers stormed Tumah.
Other security officials in the north of the peninsula reported air strikes near the town of Sheikh Zuwayid, close to the village.
But state news agency Mena gave a conflicting account of how the militants were killed.
“Terrorist elements fired rockets and shells and heavy machine guns... at the aircraft combing the area, but did not hit the aircraft, and ground forces then dealt with them and killed a number of them,” the agency reported.
Overnight, unknown assailants attacked four security checkpoints near the town of El Arish, security officials said. The interior ministry said three policemen were wounded.
Agencies
|
 |
|
|
| NEWS UPDATES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
