Six terrorists were killed in a shootout with police forces during a raid in Bir El-Abd city in North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry announced in a statement on Monday. The ministry said police carried out the raid after Egypt's national security agency received information revealing that a terrorist group was using an under-construction building as a hideout in Abu Shalla road in Bir Al-Abd, North Sinai. The terrorists exchanged fire with security forces resulting in the death of six terrorists. Police found a number of automatic weapons and explosive devices in their possession. No casualties were reported among the police. Egypt has been fighting an Islamist militancy based in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula that has gained pace since 2013. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed in attacks claimed by militants, while the military has killed hundreds of extremists as part of an extensive campaign to crush the militancy in the border region.
