11 killed in North Sinai violence in Egypt

About 11 people, including seven members of a family, were killed in separate incidents of violence in Egypt's restive North Sinai governorate.
"Seven civilians were killed by mistake during an army raid in Shabana village in Rafah, North Sinai," security officials said.
Seven civilians, who were members of the same family, were killed after a mortar shell fell on their house. The shell was targeting a security checkpoint but missed it's target.
A woman also was injured and was transferred to Rafah General Hospital.
Three militants were also killed during fire exchange.
Meanwhile, in another incident a 55-year-old policeman was killed today after unidentified 'masked' militants fired at him when he was going out from his house and heading to work, a security official said.

At the same time, the security forces and bomb disposal team defused a bomb in the east of Al-Arish near the Arish-Rafah international road. No injuries were reported.

Shabana village became like a battlefield as the army used two Apache helicopters and two tanks to attack militants who used rocket-propelled grenades and mortars during the clashes.
North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
Militant attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi last year.
Over 500 security personnel have been reportedly killed since then.

Egypt has declared a three-month emergency and curfew was clamped in different parts of Sinai following two terror attacks that left at least 31 Egyptian soldiers dead last month.