11 militants killed in Sinai shootout: Egypt

By Mohamed al-Rayes

CAIRO (AA) – Security forces killed 11 suspected militants in an exchange of fire in Egypt’s volatile Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said security forces had targeted a “hideout” in the city of Arish from which militants had planned to “carry out hostile operations".

According to the ministry, the militants were killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Anadolu Agency could not independently verify the ministry's assertions.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since 2013, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a military coup.

The jailed Morsi died unexpectedly this June after collapsing in a courtroom.