The New York Times reports:
Egypt was reported to have launched its first airstrikes in decades in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, deploying attack helicopters to strike at gunmen following the shooting of 16 Egyptian soldiers on Sunday.
The episode early Wednesday followed renewed violence in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday night, when, at around 11 p.m. in what appeared to be a series of coordinated assaults, gunmen fired on at least seven government checkpoints as well as a military cement factory, according to security officials. At least two people were injured in the attacks, the officials said.
