Egypt denies Sinai battle choking off food, medicine supplies

FILE PHOTO - A burning vehicle is seen during a major assault against militants by Egyptian Army soldiers in the troubled northern part of the Sinai peninsula in Al Arish, Egypt, in this undated handout picture made available by the Ministry of Defence March 4, 2018. Ministry of Defence/Handout via REUTERS

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian military campaign to defeat Islamic State militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula is choking essential food and medical supplies to thousands of residents in the desert region, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. The army denied the charge.

The New York-based organisation warned of a wider humanitarian crisis if North Sinai continued to be cut off from the Egyptian mainland, saying the army's actions "border on collective punishment".