Egypt has announced that its military killed 20 militants in a raid in which helicopter gunships were used in Sinai

Egypt has announced that its military killed 20 militants in a raid in which helicopter gunships were used in Sinai on Wednesday.
  
The attack in a village named Tumah came as security forces massed near the Rafah border town for the ‘decisive confrontation’ with the militants only days after 16 guards were killed in an attack in Sinai.
  
A senior military official in Sinai, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said "20 terrorists were killed" in Apache helicopter air strikes and when soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Division stormed Tumah.
  
"The operation is continuing," he said. Other security officials in the north of Sinai reported air strikes near the town of Sheikh Zuwayid, close to the village.
  
Overnight, unknown assailants attacked security checkpoints near the town of El-Arish, the officials said, adding that no one was killed in the confrontation.
  
The air strikes came a day after Egyptians held a funeral for the 16 soldiers killed on Sunday's attack by militants amid widespread calls for vengeance.

Security forces had raided homes on Tuesday in search of suspects in the attack, as they prepared to close tunnels to the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
  
President Muhammad Mursi did not attend the funeral, where some protesters chanted slogans against the Brotherhood, and according to witnesses, tried to assault the Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
  
His spokesman said in a statement that Mursi did not attend because the security measures needed to guard the president would have impinged on the "popular character" of the ceremony.