Gunmen open fire on military commander's car in Sinai

Gunmen on Wednesday opened fire on the car of a senior military commander in Egypt's restive Sinai peninsula, the army spokesman said, a day after two people died in an attack by militants on a security checkpoint. The car of the second field army chief "came under heavy fire, which led to clashes between security forces and the terrorist elements," the spokesman said in a statement. Security officials told AFP the commander was not hurt in the attack which took place in the Sheikh Zuwayed area near the border with the Gaza Strip. One girl was hurt during the exchange of fire and died later in hospital, the army said. This is the latest in a string of attacks in Sinai "targeting the army and the police in recent days with the aim of sowing chaos and harming the stability and national security of Egypt," the army said.