SECURITY

Egypt Kills 7 Militants

In Sinai, officials say.

After demands that the country beef up its security in Sinai, Egypt says it has killed seven militants in the region Sunday. They are the first killings to result from a crackdown in the Sinai Peninsula that began a week ago. The country has been under pressure from Egyptians as well as from politicians in Israel after 16 members of the Egyptian armed forces were killed by militant gunmen a week ago near the border with Israel. Troops from the Israeli armed forces killed those gunmen. Egyptian sources said that the militants on Sunday fought back against government troops with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.