Egyptian army says militants kill 5 soldiers in Sinai

CAIRO – The Egyptian army says jihadi militants have killed five soldiers in the restive Sinai Peninsula, the latest casualties in a yearslong struggle to control the area’s northeast.

In a statement released early Monday by the military spokesman, the army expressed its condolences to the soldiers’ families and described the attackers as “enemies of the nation.”

Military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief reporters, said the militants intercepted the men returning from monthly leave in a taxi, shooting them dead but sparing the driver.

Northern Sinai is home to an insurgency led by an Islamic State affiliate, and hundreds of police and soldiers have been killed there in recent years. Residents often complain of what they say are heavy-handed tactics used by security forces.