Islamic militants launched a series of attacks against Egyptian police in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Monday, killing five of them and wounding another 11, security officials said.

They say the militants opened fire on an armored vehicle before setting it ablaze in the city of el-Arish. When reinforcements arrived, the militants set off a roadside bomb. The two attacks killed a total of five policemen and wounded another five, the officials said. Another roadside bomb struck a third armored vehicle near the airport south of the city, wounding six police.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian F-16 fighter jets struck gatherings of suspected militants in different areas across northern Sinai, killing 30, officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Egypt has been struggling to combat an insurgency in the northern Sinai that has gathered strength since the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Most of the attacks, including an assault on an army post earlier this month that killed 23 soldiers, have been claimed by an Islamic State affiliate.

On Sunday, Egypt's military said its fighter jets destroyed 15 all-terrain vehicles carrying weapons, explosives and "criminal elements" after they were detected getting ready to cross the Libyan border into Egypt. Authorities say militants use the porous border with Libya to smuggle fighters and weapons into Egypt.</s>A ceremony will be held in February to honor two Lavonia policemen wounded in the line of duty.

Officer Jeffery Martin, 22, and Captain Michael Schulman, 50, were shot while investigating a stolen vehicle in Franklin County on Dec. 12. Both officers were hospitalized for gunshot wounds but later released.

Schulman, who was most seriously injured, was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital and placed on a ventilator after suffering a punctured lung. Applause greeted the veteran officer when he was released more than a week later.

Martin, an Army veteran, had to seek a specialist to remove a bullet lodged in his hand.

Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said the pair will be honored at a formal ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Lavonia First Baptist Church. The event is open to the public.

More details are expected to be released later.
• Lavonia officers: "He took a bullet for me, that's my brother"
A two stage attack targeting police kills 5 officers and wounds 11 in the city of el-Arish. A later roadside bomb south of the city wounds a further 6 officers.