The Egyptian army announced the killing of two of its soldiers and 18 armed men yesterday, Tuesday, during an attack targeting a security base in the Bir al-Abed area, north of Sinai.
And local sources spoke of an explosion at an army camp in the area, followed by heavy shooting that resulted in the death and injury of the Egyptian army in the attack.
She added that the electricity and communications were cut off from the area, and that traffic stopped on the international road between Qantara and Al-Arish after the explosion.
The armed forces released a statement hours after the attack, in which it said that the security forces, in cooperation with the Air Force, chased the militants inside a farm and some homes, killing 18 people, "one of them wearing an explosive belt."
The statement added that two members of the insurance forces were killed, and four others were wounded during their response to the armed attack.
Videos on the local pages of Sinai circulated video clips that it said were people who carried out the attack.
It is reported that, since February 2018, the army, in cooperation with the police forces, has launched an expanded security campaign against militants in northern Sinai, under the name "Operation comprehensive."
Since the campaign began, about 850 people have been killed, which the Egyptian army says are terrorists, and nearly 70 military personnel, according to army statistics.