53 killed in attacks on Egyptian army sites

Dozens of Islamic militants unleashed a wave of simultaneous attacks, including suicide car bombs, on Egyptian army checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula yesterday, killing at least 53 soldiers.

The advanced planning and co-ordinated execution of the attacks show the long-running insurgency in the area is growing stronger, posing a serious threat to Egypt’s security as the military-backed government struggles to restore stability after years of unrest since the 2011 uprising.

The assault came a day after Egypt’s president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi vowed to step up the battle against Islamic militants and two days after the chief prosecutor was assassinated in the capital, Cairo. Officials said 50 militants were killed in fierce fighting that started in the early morning and was still raging at dusk — the deadliest battle in Sinai since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.