Twenty militants in the Sinai region were killed by Egyptian military troops and jets Wednesday, Reuters reported. One policeman and one resident were confirmed wounded in the attacks, according to a Reuters reporter. State media reported that armed men opened fire on several checkpoints in Arish and Rafah, and one of these attacked checkpoints has come under attack at least 28 times since the uprising began 18 months ago. The military strike back follows Sunday's attack that killed 16 border guards, which the government blamed partly on Islamist militants. In response to Sunday's deadly attacks, Egypt began sealing off smuggling tunnels into the Gaza Strip as a precaution, according to a security source. Earlier on Tuesday, throngs of angry mourners wept at the military funeral in Cairo of the 16 guards that were killed Sunday. The attack was the deadliest assault in decades along Egypt's Sinai Peninsula border with Israel and Gaza.
