Egypt says 13 militants killed in western desert
Egyptian security forces killed 13 militants in a shootout on Friday in the country's western desert, the Interior Ministry said, a week after a deadly shootout between police and militants southwest of the capital Cairo.
The ministry said in a statement that the exchange of fire took place in a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo, based on information it received from the national security apparatus on their location. The state-run MENA news agency earlier quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying the shootout was in the New Valley province, which covers a vast area of the western desert and shares part of the porous border with Libya.
The ministry said 13 unidentified bodies were found as security forces combed the area following the shootout. They were found with firearms and ammunition in their possession, the ministry said. The statement did not say whether any police were killed.
Friday's shootout took place in an area farther south from the region where 16 policemen were killed a week ago in a brazen ambush by militants.
