Egypt police kill 11 in shootout

By Mohamed al-Rayes

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian police forces killed 11 suspected militants in a shootout in southern Egypt, according to the country’s interior ministry on Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry said security forces raided a mountainous cave where gunmen holed up in southern Egypt.

According to the ministry, the gunmen opened fire on security forces as they surrounded the area, prompting the forces to fire back, killing 11 militants.

The ministry said the gunmen were training inside the cave on the use of weapons and explosives “to use them in their hostile operations”.

Anadolu Agency could not verify the ministry's narrative from independent sources, but human rights groups accuse security forces of killing civilians during raids, a claim denied by the authorities.

Egypt has been battling a militant insurgency in recent years, particularly in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where scores of security forces were killed in attacks by Daesh-linked militant groups.

Since February, security forces have been waging security operations against militants in Sinai and western Egypt suspected of carrying out attacks.