Egypt says seven militants killed in Sinai

Seven jihadists were killed in a shootout in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula during a joint operation by police and the army, Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim said Sunday.

The seven men were among “the most dangerous elements of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis” and had taken part in a July attack on a border post with Libya that killed 22 soldiers, he told a news conference.

The minister did not give a date for the operation.

Based in the northern Sinai, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has spearheaded attacks that have killed scores of policemen and soldiers since the army overthrew Islamist President Mohammad Mursi in July 2013.

It says the attacks are to avenge the killing of pro-Mursi protesters by the army and police, a crackdown which has left at least 1,400 dead.