Egypt's military said today a founder of a militant faction in North Sinai that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group was killed in an air strike. <br/><br/>It said that a total of 18 "extremely dangerous" insurgents were killed and others wounded in raids carried out on March 18. <br/> <br/>Among those killed was Salem Selmi el-Hamadeen, known as Abu Anas al-Ansari, a founder and top member of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the military said on its official Facebook page.<br/><br/>Ansar Beit al-Maqdis is the name used by the group before it pledged allegiance to IS in November 2014. IS reported the death of the militant, active in the Sinai peninsula ever since the mid-2000s, in its weekly newsletter Al-Nabaa last Thursday.