Egypt: 20 ‘terrorists’ carried out border attack

CAIRO (AP) — The spokesman of Egypt’s military says 20 “terrorists” carried out a deadly border post attack that killed 22 soldiers, the deadliest assault on Egypt’s military in years.

A statement posted Tuesday on the official Facebook page of military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said attackers driving four pickup trucks loaded with explosives first exchanged gunfire with soldiers at a border post in el-Wadi el-Gadid, Egypt’s largest province bordering Libya and Sudan.

The statement said the gunfire prevented the attackers from storming the post. However, it said attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at a gas cylinder, blowing it up and causing a fire in an ammunition warehouse that exploded and killed the soldiers Saturday.

The statement did not say who the military suspects of carrying out the attack.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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