12 Egyptian soldiers killed by Islamic State in Sinai

  • 15/10/2016
(AAP)
(AAP)

Islamic State (IS) is believed to be behind a brutal attack on an Egyptian army checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula that resulted in the death of 12 soldiers.

Egyptian security forces say six more of its men were injured, and 15 IS militants were killed in the attack near Bir el-Abd, a town in the country's north-east.

Officials told media the militants arrived in a ute and opened fire on the Hasana checkpoint with heavy machine guns, sparking the lengthy gun battle that resulted in the deaths of 27 people.

Militants in the area, who pledged their allegiance to IS in 2014, have launched an increasing number of attacks in recent months.

On Friday (local time), they claimed responsibility for the latest act of violence in a statement posted on social media.

The Egyptian army has had relative success in suppressing their operations, and it is said to have been quite some time since insurgents were able to launch an attack on this scale.

Newshub.