Cairo Claims to have Killed Extremists in Sinai

Egypt’s military says its troops killed three insurgents described as “extremely dangerous,” as well as 16 others, during fighting last week in the northern Sinai Peninsula. There was no mention of their affiliation, although a local ally of Islamic State claimed its fighters had been involved. Cairo has been waging a long war against such Islamists, who stepped up their attacks in the area after the 2013 ouster of president Mohammad Morsi, a key figure in the Muslim Brotherhood. News reports say the Egyptians suffered casualties of their own in last week’s fighting, with up to five troops, including a colonel, having been killed by a roadside bomb. A military spokesman said the Egyptian attacks were launched from both the ground and the air, adding that soldiers had found weapons caches including automatic rifles, hand grenades and RPGs.