Militants kill Egyptian security forces in desert shoot-out

21 Octobre 2017

Cairo, Egypt, October  21 (Infosplusgabon) - More than 50 Egyptian security personnel have died during a clash with suspected Islamist militants on Friday.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, the militants opened fire on the group during a raid on their hideout near the Bahariya oasis in the Western Desert.

Security forces are understood to have gone into the desert following a tip-off about a possible hideout. Fifteen militants also died in the attack, reports said.

Egypt is currently fighting an Islamist insurgency in northern Sinai.

The Bahariya oasis where the attack took place lies hundreds of kilometres south-west of the troubled region. But there was no claim of responsibility by the Islamist groups active in the area.

A security source quoted by local news outlets on Saturday said their convoy came under attack by militants using rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/AMP/GABON 2017

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