The officials said an army captain was killed in the fighting, which took place in olive orchards near the airport.
On Tuesday, a missile hit the airport during a previously unannounced visit to El Arish by defence minister Sedki Sobhy and interior minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, who is in charge of police.
Egyptian security forces have for years battled militants in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula.
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source : AP
Wednesday
20 December 2017
1:54:24 PM
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(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Egyptian security forces clashed on Wednesday with militants near the airport of the northern Sinai city of El Arish, killing five a day after a missile hit the facility during a visit by the country's defence and interior ministers, officials said.