Children, woman killed by shelling in Egypt's Sinai

Four children and a woman were killed Tuesday when a shell hit their house in a town in North Sinai where Egypt's army is fighting jihadists, security officials said.

They said the woman and the children, including a girl of just eight months, were killed in the town of Sheikh Zuweid. A boy and girl were also wounded.

It was unclear which side fired the shell as both the army and militants use such projectiles.

North Sinai is a bastion of the "Sinai Province" jihadist group. Formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, it changed its name when it pledged allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group in November.

On July 1, the group staged a series of attacks on security forces in Sheikh Zuweid that the military said killed 21 soldiers.

The jihadists say their attacks are in response to a crackdown by the authorities after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's ouster, which has seen at least 1,400 people killed and thousands jailed.
Source: AFP