May 12, 2013 file photo, Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in an armored vehicle backed by a helicopter gunship during a sweep through villages in in Sheikh Zuweyid, northern Sinai, Egypt. (Photo: AP)
Two Egyptian army soldier were killed Friday and eight were injured during intense clashes with Islamic extremists in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, in North Sinai, reported Al-Ahram’s Arabic website.
Al-Ahram reported that civilians had also been injured in the fighting, including a 20-year-old woman.
Islamist militants have stepped up violence against security forces in the restive peninsula which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip since the July ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, killing dozens of military and police personnel in ongoing attacks.
Egyptian authorities have launched a military campaign in the peninsula to combat the growing insurgency.
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