Egypt's military says it has killed the leader of the Sinai branch of the Islamic State (IS) group, identifying the militant as Abu Duaa al-Ansari.
In a statement on August 4, the Egyptian military said Ansari was among 46 militants that had been killed in a series of air strikes near Arish, the largest town on the Sinai Peninsula.
There was no immediate confirmation of the claim from the so-called Sinai Province group, Islamic State's offshoot in the peninsula that borders Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the Suez Canal.
Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police have been killed by Islamic militants since the middle of 2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Muhammad Morsi.
Most of the violence has taken place in northern Sinai, where IS fighters are based.
