1 militant killed, 3 arrested in Egypt's Sinai

One militant has been killed and three others arrested in a military campaign in the Egyptian governorate of North Sinai on Tuesday, a security official told Xinhua. "During a military campaign in southern Rafah in North Sinai, the security forces were surprised by heavy gunfire at Al-Barth area and exchanged fire with the militants," the security source said. Afterwards, the security forces seized eight vehicles of the militants, where they found one killed and arrested three of them, while the rest ran away, according to the source. Eight wanted criminal suspects have been arrested earlier on Tuesday during the inspection and combing campaigns in the area between Rafah, Arish and Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, according to official news agency MENA. The security intensified campaigns are part of efforts to free seven soldiers who have been kidnapped on Thursday by a group of militants believed to belong to the hardline Jihadist group. President Mohamed Morsi reaffirmed that there would be "no dialogue" with kidnappers to free the recruits, while the latter's family members appealed to the president and all concerned officials for not launching an attack that might risk the lives of their abducted relatives.