Police kill 2 suspected extremists in Egypt shootout

Cairo Aug 16 (IANS) Two suspected extremists were killed in a shootout with security forces in a desert area in southwestern Egypt the interior ministry said.

According to the ministry on Tuesday the two suspects were hiding in a mountainous area in al-Wadi al-Gadid province Efe news reported.

When police approached the site the radicals opened fire on the officers who also responded with shots.

Police did not name the two individuals who perished but said that at least one of them carried an explosive belt attached to his body that exploded due to the shooting.

The police also found two hand grenades two automatic rifles and ammunition.

On the other hand the army destroyed a car bomb and an extremist post in northern Sinai Peninsula in northeastern Egypt with the support of the aviation.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said in May that as a result of the Islamic State losing ground in Syria and Libya the fighters of this group were entering Egypt through Sinai and the western border with Libya.

The government has declared that the North Sinai area a military zone and prevents media access to the area.

--IANS
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