A militant group, affiliated with the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for a deadly assault on the Egyptian security forces on the Sinai peninsula.
At least 15 soldiers and two civilians were killed in simultaneous attacks on five checkpoints in restive northern Sinai. Nineteen soldiers were wounded in the assault. Sinai Province, previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM), carried out its deadliest attack in recent months on Thursday.
ABM appeared following the Arab Spring revolution of 2011 and has become increasingly active after Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first Islamist president, was removed from power in July 2013. In November 2014, militants pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
