Gunmen attack Sinai checkpoints close to Israel border

[oberliner]

CAIRO (Reuters) - Armed men attacked four security checkpoints on Sunday in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, close to Egypt's border with Israel and the Gaza Strip, part of an upsurge of violence there since Wednesday's overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.

Gunmen in pickup trucks exchanged gunfire with soldiers and police in the lawless province in the early hours of the morning, but there were no casualties, security sources said.

Hardline Islamists have launched sporadic attacks in North Sinai since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 created a security vacuum in the region.

On Friday, five security officers were killed in skirmishes with suspected militants in El Arish, the regional capital.

http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-attack-sinai-checkpoints-close-israel-border-140956903.html