Egypt executed 15 militants today over their involvement in the killing of nine members of the security forces in a 2013 attack in the country's northeast, a government official said. <br/><br/>The official said 11 convicts were hanged near Alexandria, while four others were executed west of Cairo. <br/><br/>All of the prisoners were convicted of killing eight soldiers and an officer during the attack on a military checkpoint in the city of al-Arish, capital of the north Sinai region.<br/><br/>A military court had sentenced the 15 men to death in June 2015.<br/><br/>Egyptian security forces are currently engaged in an operation against the Islamic State terror organisation's affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula.