It occurred close to the town of Rafah

Islamic militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday, killing 23 troops and wounding 33, officials said.

Among those killed in the attack the deadliest on the country’s military this year were five officers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi, according to security officials.

The assault started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah, followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants on foot, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

As the attack unfolded, ambulance sirens were heard from a distance rushing to the site. The officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later said that more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby building, used as a rest house for troops, that was destroyed in the attack.

The militants arrived at the site of the checkpoint located in a remote, desert area in some 24 Land Cruiser SUVs, and opened fire on the soldiers with machine guns for half an hour.