Photo: Amr Emam/IRIN Cairo — Egyptian aircraft struck at targets near the border with Israel on Wednesday and troops raided villages in a crackdown on Islamic militants blamed for a deadly attack on Egyptian border police, army officials and witnesses said.
The air strikes around the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, 10 km (6 miles) from Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, followed clashes overnight between armed men and security forces at several checkpoints in the north of Egypt's Sinai region.
Gunmen killed 16 border guards on Sunday in the bloodiest attack on security forces in Sinai since Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, an accord which brought a close to a succession of wars between the two countries.
The attackers stormed through the border into Israel but they were killed by Israeli fire.
The militants, who are sworn to destroy Israel, have stepped up their actions along the isolated desert frontier since an uprising toppled Egypt's autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak last year.
The new president, Mohamed Mursi, a moderate Islamist who took office in June, has tried to allay Israeli concerns with promises to bring the region back under government control.

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THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE RIGHT TIME IS AND HOW THE FIGHT MUST BE WON. IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE WEST HAS DECIDED THAT THE ONLY WAY IS VIOLENT AND CHAOS DEATH DESTRUCTION PRAYING DAILY TO SATN AND HIS CORRUPT KINGDOM. THESE ARE THE MISDIRECTED ISLAMIST BEING PROGRAMED BY WESTERN NATO SEDITIONIST WHO HAVE INDILTRATED THESE PEOPLES MIND WITH MONEY FROM QUATAR SAUDI ARABIA WHO HAVE THE DESIRE TO PRESERVE THIER HOLD ON POWER. WHAT WE FACE IS SAUDI ARABIA WHOSE FALSE KING ALOG WITH HIS OTHER AUTOCRATIV BROTHERS WHO SPEAK OF BEING ARABS WHO SAID THAT? THEY ARE ALLIED WITH ISRAEL THE WEST TURKEY NATO!!! THIS LEAVES A QUESTION TO ALL AFRICA THE WEST WITH THIER SUPEIRO FALSE MONEY AND THIER SATANIC POWERAS WE KNO THEY ARE NOT ORDAINED BY "OUR LORD" WHOSE MIGHT IS IN THE SUN AND THE STARS SHOULD WE HAVE A STAR COLLIDE WITH EARTH THERE WOULDBE NOMORE LIFE ON THIS PLANET.EACH AND EVERY STAR HAS ONE ZILLION TIMES MORE POWER THAN THESE FOOLSTHINK THEY POSSESS; WHOSE POWER ARE WE AFRAID OF?? THEM AND THIER MISSILES THIER NUTRON BOMBS THIER NUCLEAR BOMBS THESE THINSG ARE DESIGNED TO COMMIT SUICIDE THESE SUICIDE BOMBERS WITH THIER WMDs. THESE ARE THEY WHO ARE MANIPULATING THE ILLITERATE THE IGNORANT. LET US BE CLEAR WHEN THERE IS IGNORANCE THEN THEY WILL BE MANIPULATED AS THEY HAVE NOT THE CAPACITY TO SEE FURTHER THAN WHAT THEY PERCEIVE TO BE RIGHT. THERE WILL BE A TIME NO DOUBT, WHEN THE RIGHT MUST CONFRONT THE WRONG THE RIGHTEOUSS WILL CONFRONT THE EVIL DOER. THIS I NOT THE TIME!!!!! WHEN WE HAVE THOSE WHO ARE STILL USING THIER FALSE IDENTITY TO DECEIVE THE PEOPLE THEN WE CAN NOT MOVE FORWARD. THER ARE STILLMURDERS DAAILY OF MUSLIMS IN BAHRAIN SOMALIA EVEN IRAQ AFGHANISATN NYANMAR ALL TESE THINSG ARE TAKING PLACE DURING THIS HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN!!! CONSCIOUSNES IS LACKING, THE TEACHINGS HAVE BEEN FLAWED AND IMAMS ARE NOT TAKING THE TEACHING OF THE QUARAAN SERIOUSLY THEY ARE DOING WHAT THE WEST DID MISINTERPRET AND USE FALSE DOCTRINES TO PROPOGATE A MESSAGE THAT SIGNALS NOT THE LOVE OF HUMANITY ASPIRING TO ACHIEVETHE PERFECT MAN THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE FIRST RIGHTEOUSS TEACHERS THOSE WHO WERE THE FIRST MAN; THOSE WHOSE KNOWLEDGE SUPERCEDED ANY KNOWLEDGE THAT WE SEE TODAY. THE WEST HAS STOLEN THE TRUTH HIDDEN IT SO THEY CAN MISRULE DICTATE AND EMPOWER THEMSELVES ONTHE PLANET. MANY PEOPLE ARE B EING USED MANIPULATED AS THEY CONSOLIDATE POWER . I SAY TO EGYPT DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THE TRICKSTERS THEY ARE CUNNING THEY USE THIER BRAINS DAILY NOT FOR THE GOOD OFYOU OR I BUT THIER EVIL INTENT OB BEING HEGEMONIC POWERS. THE NAZI REGIME IS ALIVE IN THE ZIONIST ENTITIY EVOLVING FROM THE USA. THE USA HAVE BEEN EMBARKING ON THIERMISSION FOR DECADES NOW THE GERMANS WHO THEY TOOK OUT OF GERMANY DURING THE WAR MOST OF THE ELITIST THE WERE SENT TO ISRAEL THESE ARE GERMAN WAR CRIMINALS THEY MURDERED MOST OF THE ISRAEITES WHO WERE IN GERMANYSTOLE THIER IDENTITIESAND HAVE NOW SET UP SHOP IN THE REGION THEY USED THESAME TECHNOLOGY THE GERMANS USED IMPROVED ON ITS AND SOLD THE IDEOLOGY TO THE USA. THEY NOW WORK FEVEROUSLY TO UNDERMINE TRICK KEEP YOU OFF GUARD.SYRIA THEY WANT TO TOOPLE THIS WILL GIVE ISRAEL MORE POWER ROOM TO DESTROY OR TRY TO DESTROY IRAN. IRAN IS AN INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STAE WHETHER THEY ARE SHIA OR SUNNI IT IS NOT IMPORTANT "ALLAH THE MOST MERCIFUL THE BENVOLENT" IS WHOM WE ALL WORSHIP.. 'SATAN, IS TRICKY CLEVER CUNNING DECEPTIVE HE SENT HIS WHORE TO SEDUCE THE HAFRICAN STATES, WE WATCH AS THEY WERE ALL ENTHRALLED WITH HER MAGIC!!!. " SOUTH AFRICA SEEMED TO HAVE ARRIVED AT A RENEWED DESTINATION WITH THIER LOVE WITH A LONG LOST FREIND"""!!! "SATAN SHALL NOT PREVAIL WE SEE SYRIA WE SIGHT THEM USING THIER PLOTS TRAPS; SATAN IS NOT WIZE HE IS TRICKY WATCH FOR THE UNEXPECTED, THEY WANT TO LURE YOU IN THEYMUST NEVER BEABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIER HEGMONIC STANIC DESIRES OVER THE RIGHTEOUSS OF THE EARTH. THIS IS TRULY A WAR OF GOOD OVER OVER EVIL .WAR DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE MUST RESORT TO THE LEVEL WHERE THEY WILL PREVAIL WE MUST ALLOW THEM TO DESTROY THEMSELVES FROM WITHIN. WHEN THERE IS FAITH WHERE THERE IS THE ALLMIGHTY ALLAH" THERE IS NO DEFEAT. THERE IS STILL RIGHT AND WRONG THE RUTH IS BEFORE US WE MUST LOOK INTO TIEM WHICH IS A VERY LONG TIME WE WILL SEE THAT IN THE BEGINNING TRUTH WAS A FLAG OF INDEPENDENCE..WHAT THE WEST AND THIER FREINDS ARE PRETNDING IS THE WRONG PATH ? THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HIHLIGHTED IN THE QUARAAN' WHERE WE SIGHT THAT RIGHT HAS BECOEM WRONG WRONG RIGHT " NOTHING IS HIDDEN THAT WE DO NOT KNOW "" WIZE INTELLECT AND REMEBER THAT SATN IS ACTIVELY SEEKING TO RULE OVER THE RIGHTEOUSS PEOPLE.