By Khaled al-Geyoshi
CAIRO (AA) – Twelve people, including two civilians and two soldiers, were killed in three separate militant attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a local security source told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
The source, who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media, said gunmen had attacked three army checkpoints in northern Sinai.
One army conscript and two civilian passersby -- along with eight gunmen -- were killed in the attacks, the source said, while two soldiers were taken to a nearby military hospital after sustaining severe injuries.
Meanwhile, on northeastern Sinai’s Al-Gorah Road, one soldier was killed and another four injured when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, according to the same source.
Egypt has been dogged by instability since Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely-elected president, was ousted in a 2013 military coup.
Since then, Egypt’s army-backed authorities have waged a brutal campaign against Morsi’s supporters and members of his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
The crackdown on political dissent has coincided with a fierce campaign by Egyptian security forces against what they describe as Sinai-based "terrorist groups".
The Sinai campaign, which involves police and army forces, has been accompanied by frequent attacks on security personnel deployed in the volatile peninsula.
The authorities claim to be battling the Welayat Sinai ("Sinai Province") group, which is said to have sworn allegiance to the Daesh terrorist organization.