Twenty-six Egyptian soldiers were killed or wounded on Friday (July 7th) in attacks on checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula where the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) is present, AFP reported.
Security officials who requested anonymity said at least seven soldiers were killed, but it was not immediately possible to obtain an official death toll.
The military said it killed 40 assailants as it clashed with extremists in North Sinai, the main focus of the deadly ISIS insurgency.
Security officials said ambulances raced to the sites of the attacks south of the town of Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip.
