Egypt kills Daesh's head of Sinai branch

The Egyptian military said it killed the head of the Sinai branch of Daesh, along with dozens of its fighters.

The Egyptian military said that Abu Duaa al-Ansari was killed in a series of air strikes on fighters of the Sinai Province group. The air strikes reportedly targeted jihadist strongholds near the town of El-Arish.

Sinai Province is Egypt's most active insurgent group and has been linked to deadly attacks in Sinai and Cairo.

"The raids left more than 45 terrorists killed, dozens of others injured and several arms caches destroyed," the Egyptian military said.

The air strikes were on southern and south-western areas of El-Arish, the largest town in northern Sinai.

The jihadist group, which has been active in the Sinai peninsula since 2011, has not commented on the army's statement.