Egypt forces kill 8 militants in Sinai

By Ahmed Mohamed

CAIRO (AA) – Eight militants were reportedly killed in a security crackdown in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula on Monday, according to a local security source.

Security forces raided a building where a number of suspects were holed in in the North Sinai city of Arish, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.

He said the forces came under fire from the militants, prompting them to fire back and killed the gunmen.

According to the source, weapons and explosives were found in the possession of the militants.

Egyptian authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the report.

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