Egyptian security forces clashed on Wednesday with Islamic 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.
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 Islamic militants in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula.
____________
Read more:
Army must restore Sinai security in three months, Egypt's Sisi says
Egypt police kill 11 suspected 'terrorists' in Sinai shootout
