Smoke rises in Egypt's northern Sinai, as seen from the border of the Gaza Strip, amid fierce clashes between government forces and Islamic State-affiliated gunmen on July 1, 2015. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
CAIRO, Egypt — The Egyptian army said Monday that assailants killed five soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, where security forces have been targeted in a spate of jihadist attacks.
“The armed forces mourn with great sadness and sorrow the five martyrs who were martyred in Sinai at the hands of disloyal fundamentalist elements, enemies of the nation and religion,” the military said.
The statement did not elaborate on the cause of their deaths.
Jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 unleashed a bloody crackdown on his supporters.
The crackdown decimated the Islamist movement and killed hundreds of his followers, and set off a jihadist insurgency that has killed hundreds of security personnel.
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In this Nov. 6, 2014, file photo, an Egyptian armored vehicle is seen on the Egyptian side of the border across from Rafah in north Sinai. (Ahmed Abd El Latif, El Shorouk Newspaper/AP)
Most of the attacks have taken place in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, but attacks have also been carried out in other areas including Cairo.
The majority of these attacks have been carried out by the jihadist Islamic State group, which views Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group as heretics.
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