At least 11 dead in attack on security forces in Egypt's Sinai

At least seven Egyptian police officers and four militants were killed in a clash in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

The clash took place late on Tuesday when militants attacked forces stationed south-west of the city of Arish, the ministry said in a statement.

Daesh claimed the attack, saying it had carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in Arish, according to a statement carried on the terror group’s Amaq news agency.

Security sources said the militants had used more than 10 four-wheel vehicles in coordinated attacks at four sites.

Egyptian security forces have been battling radical militants in the Sinai Peninsula for years and launched a counter-insurgency campaign in the area in February 2018.

Earlier this month militants attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai, an assault that left eight security personnel dead according to the interior ministry.