Egyptian police killed 17 militants in a shootout in the restive northern Sinai. The interior ministry said yesterday that the shootout flared as police, acting on intelligence, raided a hideout in North Sinai’s provincial capital of El-Arish.

Security forces are battling a long-running insurgency in the peninsula, spearheaded by the Islamic State group. Egypt launched a nationwide operation against militants in February 2018, mainly focusing on North Sinai.