Egypt army : Three soldiers killed, four injured in militant attack in North Sinai

Three Egyptian army soldiers were killed and four injured in a militant attack by terrorists on Saturday evening against a security checkpoint south of the town of Sheikh Zueid in North Sinai, a military spokesman said.

Spokesman Mohamed Samir said on his official Facebook page that the army had been engaging the militants in battle in three different areas south of the town. He said that the army destroyed two vehicles and killed a number of militants in the Al-Hamadein area near Al-Zawarae, south of Sheikh Zuweid.

The Islamic State's Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried on a social media website. 

Earlier in the evening, state news had reported that five soldiers were killed and seven injured in a militant attack against Abu Refae security checkpoint south of Sheikh Zuweid.

Security sources had told that "terrorists" attacked the checkpoint with live ammunition and bombs.

On 1 July, Islamic State group militants launched multiple attacks against army and security forces in and around Sheikh Zuweid, leaving 21 soldiers dead.

In the past two weeks, the Egyptian army, which regained control over the town on the same day after fierce battles, has been carrying out intense strikes against militant hideouts which reportedly left more than 200 militants dead.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate claims rocket attack on naval boat

Smokes rises from an Egyptian coastguard vessel on the coast of northern Sinai, as seen from the border of southern Gaza Strip with Egypt July 16, 2015

The Islamic State's Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, has claimed responsibility for Thursday's missile attack on a naval boat off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

The Egyptian army said in a statement earlier that the patrol boat was chasing militants off the coast of Rafah, a town in North Sinai, and had exchanged gunfire with them. The boat caught on fire as a result, but the incident left no fatalities, the military said.

Sinai Province released a statement saying its jihadists had carried out a rocket attack on a naval vessel belonging to the "apostasy army" in the eastern Mediterranean.

The volatile North Sinai region, where Rafah is located, is an epicenter of a mounting Islamist insurgency that has killed hundreds of members of the security forces since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Earlier in July, 21 soldiers were killed after simultaneous militant assaults on army checkpoints in the North Sinai towns of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, prompting days-long fighting between troops and insurgents that left over 200 militants killed.

On Wednesday, the army said its troops foiled a suicide car bomb attack on a military post between Cairo and Suez. This attempt was also claimed by Sinai Province, Egypt's most lethal militant group.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate claims rocket attack on naval boat

Smokes rises from an Egyptian coastguard vessel on the coast of northern Sinai, as seen from the border of southern Gaza Strip with Egypt July 16, 2015

The Islamic State's Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, has claimed responsibility for Thursday's missile attack on a naval boat off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

The Egyptian army said in a statement earlier that the patrol boat was chasing militants off the coast of Rafah, a town in North Sinai, and had exchanged gunfire with them. The boat caught on fire as a result, but the incident left no fatalities, the military said.

Sinai Province released a statement saying its jihadists had carried out a rocket attack on a naval vessel belonging to the "apostasy army" in the eastern Mediterranean.

The volatile North Sinai region, where Rafah is located, is an epicenter of a mounting Islamist insurgency that has killed hundreds of members of the security forces since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Earlier in July, 21 soldiers were killed after simultaneous militant assaults on army checkpoints in the North Sinai towns of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, prompting days-long fighting between troops and insurgents that left over 200 militants killed.

On Wednesday, the army said its troops foiled a suicide car bomb attack on a military post between Cairo and Suez. This attempt was also claimed by Sinai Province, Egypt's most lethal militant group.

Security forces kill 70 isis militants in North Sinai over the past 48 hours

Leading Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis figure Kamal Allam was killed during the raids on Thursday

No less than 70 militants were killed in North Sinai by Egyptian security forces over the past 48 hours following a deadly attack by the Islamic State-affiliated Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis on the city of Sheikh Zuwied, as reported.

Security sources told that 35 militants were killed Wednesday night while another 35 militants were killed on Thursday.

The sources added that those militants were killed during their attempt to escape the Egyptian air forces' strikes and that they were killed by the landmines they had previously planted on the highways targeting Egyptian security forces. 

The sources revealed that among the militants who were killed on Thursday was leading Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis figure Kamal Allam. 

On Wednesday, North Sinai witnessed the largest terrorist attack of its kind by ABM militants where battles between the Egyptian armed forces and militants continued for several hours in the Sheikh Zuwied area. 

Battles between Islamist militants and the Egyptian army in North Sinai left at least 117 people dead — 17 army soldiers and 100 militants, according to official statements by the Egyptian armed forces.

#Obama urges #Gulf nations to help with chaos in #Libya

President Barack Obama urged Gulf nations to help calm the chaotic political situation in Libya, saying that outside military action would not be enough to help reduce tensions in the war-ravaged North African country.

After a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the White House on Friday , Obama said a political solution was needed in the oil-rich Mediterranean state, where two rival governments are fighting for control.

"We're going to have to encourage some of the countries inside of the Gulf who have, I think, influence over the various factions inside of Libya to be more cooperative themselves," Obama told reporters.

"In some cases, you've seen them fan the flames of military conflict, rather than try to reduce them."

Obama is set to meet with leaders from Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Washington on May 13 and 14 to discuss a host of crises in the Middle East.

Obama noted Islamic State militants, who have taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq, have also been active in Libya. The United States is leading a coalition fighting the group in Iraq and Syria.

"We are consistently looking where terrorist threats might emanate, and Libya, obviously, is an area of great concern," Obama said. He compared the situation to Somalia, where Washington has carried out drone strikes against suspected al Qaeda militants.

"We will not be able to solve the problem with just a few drone strikes or a few military operations," he said, adding that he and Renzi did not discuss the possible sale of U.S. drones to Italy, which some Italian media reports had expected.

The United States, Italy and their allies must combine counterterrorism efforts with a push for a political resolution, Obama said.

"The answer ultimately is to have a government that can control its own borders and work with us. That's going to take some time," he said.

Renzi agreed it was up to the Libyans themselves. "Peace in Libya: either the tribes do this, or no one is going to do this," he said. 

Breaking News : At least 6 dead, including civilian, in Arish suicidal bomb attack

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an Islamic State group affiliate, has claimed responsibility for the attack, its second on Sunday while a third attack took place later in Rafah

Egyptians gather around the crater following a bombing that struck a main police station in the capital of the northern Sinai province in Al-Arish, Egypt, Sunday, April 12, 2015

Six, including at least one civilian, were killed on Sunday when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded near the Third Police Station in North Sinai's Al-Arish, a common target for militants in the restive peninsula.

A suicide bomber sought to ram a van laden with explosives into a checkpoint in the vicinity of the police station, the interior ministry said. The vehicle exploded when police forces opened fire at it, killing at least five policemen, according to the statement.

Health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghafar later told Ahram Online the death toll rose to six with at least one civilian among the deceased. He said 40 were also injured.

Both policemen and civilians were injured in the blast, the interior ministry's statement added.

Final death and injury tolls have yet to be announced, with counting still ongoing, Abdel-Ghafar said.

An exchange of gunfire and ambulances were heard following the huge explosion, which reportedly created a large crater and shattered house windows near the police station.

The militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came hours after another operation that they also claimed.

A first lieutenant, a sergeant and four conscripts were killed earlier on Sunday when their armoured vehicle was attacked on the highway from Al-Arish to Sheikh Zuweid, North Sinai. Two other soldiers were injured and taken to the Arish military hospital.

Later in the day, a third attack on a checkpoint in Rafah left three security personnel injured when unknown assailants opened fire at them.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has claimed many attacks against the army and police in Sinai.

Last Friday, the group, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State militant group, published a graphic video showing the execution of a 20-year-old soldier kidnapped during the group’s 3-April attack on security checkpoints that killed 15 soldiers.

The video also included the beheading of a local man from Sinai for allegedly collaborating with Israeli spy agency Mossad.

Egypt's army has been fighting a decade-long militant Islamist insurgency, which has spiked since the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in summer 2013.

Hundreds of police and soldiers, as well as civilians, have been killed in militant attacks in the past months.