Egypt kills more than 100 militants in North Sinai

Egypt's armed forces said that at least 100 militants and 17 soldiers had been killed in a wave of attacks on military checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s branch in Egypt. The statement, which was aired on state television, said 17 soldiers, including four officers, were killed. Thirteen soldiers were also wounded. The attack is considered one of the biggest militant strikes in Egypt's modern history. Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian army F-16 jets and Apache helicopters struck ISIS positions in the town of Sheikh Zuweid that lies within the Sinai Peninsula, a strategic area located between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. Militants have reportedly taken up positions on rooftops and mined streets leading to the town’s police station to prevent forces from leaving, according to Al Arabiya News Channel and Agence France-Presse. The army said five checkpoints were attacked by about 70 militants and that soldiers had destroyed three landcruisers fitted with anti-aircraft guns. Clashes between militants and soldiers have been going for more than eight hours, marking the biggest onslaught yet.   Al Arabiya