Egypt airstrikes in Sinai kill 20 ‘terrorists’ in reprisal for attacks on military posts

The airstrikes along the Israeli-Egyptian border came after several Egyptian military checkpoints in the region were attacked overnight and three days after unknown gunmen attacked Egyptian border guards. The incidents have left Egypt lurching to contain the Sinai’s growing lawlessness, which has been fostered by the upheaval of post-revolution Egypt and poses an important challenge for the country’s new leadership.

An unnamed Egyptian senior military official told Agence France-Presse that “20 terrorists were killed” in the village of Tumah, near the Gaza border, by Apache helicopter strikes. The military source said the operation was ongoing and other airstrikes have been reported in neighboring villages.