Egypt forces kill 19 militants following religious attack

Nineteen Islamic militants have been killed by Egyptian security forces, following an attack that claimed the lives of seven Coptic Christians on two buses near a monastery late last week.

Egyptian authorities have revealed that they followed the attackers into the desert area west of Minya province, where a shoot-out occurred that ended with 19 members of the Islamic State terror group dead.

Al Jazeera reports that Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday, saying it was “the latest in a string of assaults against the minority Coptic community”.

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The attack on Friday involved armed men opening fire on two buses carrying pilgrims to the Monastery of St Samuel in Minya province, killing seven and leaving another 18 wounded.

Egypt routinely publicises such raids, The New York Times says, “yet questions persist about why the security forces are unable to stop militant attacks”.