Six soldiers, including two officers, were today killed in an exchange of fire with armed smugglers near the western border of Egypt.
Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said the armed smugglers opened fire on the soldiers who were patrolling the border, killing six of them.
The soldiers engaged with the smugglers in exchange of fire and killed and injured a number of them. The area is currently being combed by ground and air forces, he said in a statement.
Police and military personnel have been the target of militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military even increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.
Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then.
In 2014, about 22 soldiers were killed in an attack in el-Farafra. The Ansar Beit el-Maqdes, an IS affiliate militant group based in Sinai, claimed responsibility for the attack.
