Egypt kills 23 militants in Sinai near Gaza border

The Egyptian military on Thursday  killed 23 extremists in dawn raids in northern Sinai, security officials said, a day after Islamic militants attacked army positions in the restive peninsula and set off the bloodiest fighting in decades.

The raids took place just south of the border town of Rafah, a key Sinai border town near the Gaza Strip, said the officials. They said the army was also seeking out militants house to house in the town of Sheikh <g data-gr-id="15">Zuweid</g> -- where the militants attacked at least five army checkpoints the previous day -- and demining roads in and around the area that extremists had <g data-gr-id="16">booby trapped</g> with mines and improvised explosives devices.

An AP reporter across the border in the Gaza Strip heard explosions and saw smoke rising in the area as airstrikes continued in the afternoon and warplanes roared overhead. He witnessed at least seven airstrikes in a half hour period and saw two armoured personnel carriers manoeuvring in the border area. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The militants who attacked troops on Wednesday  in Sinai used sophisticated weaponry, including Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles.