Egyptian police killed in Sinai checkpoint attack Published duration 21 January 2016

image copyright EPA image caption No group has so far claimed responsibility for the overnight attack in El-Arish

Five policemen have been killed in an attack on a checkpoint in the north of Egypt's restive Sinai peninsula, the interior ministry says.

Three conscripts were also also wounded when gunmen opened fire at the checkpoint in the town of El-Arish.

Security forces were searching for the attackers, who managed to flee.

Jihadist militants, largely based in Sinai, have killed hundreds of security personnel since the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

The government has responded with air strikes and ground operations.

The last major attack in El-Arish took place in December, when suicide bombers blew themselves up at a hotel, killing two judges monitoring the parliamentary elections.

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