6 Egyptian soldiers killed in clash with smugglers at borders

Six Egyptian soldiers were killed Thursday during fire exchange with armed smugglers at the country's western borders, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement, noting the confrontation also killed and wounded some of the smugglers.

"Two officers and four soldiers were killed and the armed forces elements are currently combing the area with an air cover provided by the air forces," brigadier-general Mohamed Samir said in the statement.

The spokesman explained that in the early hours of the day, the border guard patrols were moving in a desert area at the western borders when weapon smugglers opened fire at them and ran away in the desert after the forces dealt with them.

Also on Thursday, a policeman was killed and three others injured as a blast targeted their security patrol in North Sinai's Arish city.

On the same day, also in Arish, unknown gunmen shot dead a priest of one of the churches while he was repairing his car, and a militant group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) regional group claimed responsibility for the murder.

Over the past few years, Egypt has been suffering growing anti-government militant groups in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula bordering the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Israel and also at the western desert near the borders with neighboring, conflict-stricken Libya.

In July 2014, at least 21 Egyptian soldiers were killed and several others wounded in a terrorist attack against security forces at Al-Farafra Oasis in the country's Western Desert.

Terror operations grew in Egypt since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against Morsi and his currently-blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group. Endit