Egypt: Army Kills 18 in Foiled ‘Terrorist’ Attack in Sinai

The Egyptian army said Tuesday that it killed 18 Islamist fighters who attacked a military outpost in the Bir al-Abd area in northern Sinai, foiling their “terrorist” attack. Two soldiers were killed and four were injured in the attack. The army said one of the attackers was wearing an explosive belt and that troops destroyed four vehicles including three car bombs. At least a thousand Egyptian police and soldiers and more than 3,000 Islamist guerrillas have been killed in an Islamist insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula that began during the 2011 Arab Spring and expanded with the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi, who was supported by the Muslim-Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party.