Egypt forces kill 15 ‘terrorists’ in northeastern Sinai

CAIRO (AA) - At least 15 militants have been killed in clashes with Egyptian security forces in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula, according to local media reports.

Flagship state daily Al-Ahram reported that security forces had “struck a direct blow against terrorist elements” near the Sinai city of Al-Arish.

According to Al-Ahram, clashes between security forces and militants left 15 of the latter dead.

There were no causalities among security personnel, the newspaper claimed.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has yet to issue a statement on the incident.

Since February, the Egyptian army has been waging a wide-ranging operation against Sinai-based militants who it blames for carrying out a string of recent attacks.

The restive Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely elected president -- was ousted in a bloody military coup.