CAIRO (AP) — The latest news on the near-simultaneous militant attacks in Egypt's restive northern Sinai Peninsula that killed 38 soldiers (all times local):

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12:50 p.m.

Egyptian military and security officials have raised the casualty tolls from the coordinated militant attacks that struck the country's restive northern Sinai on Wednesday morning.

The officials say the number of troops killed has now climbed to 38. They also say that 54 soldiers have been wounded in the ongoing clashes following multiple, simultaneous attacks by the militants targeting army checkpoints.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the attacks

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12:10 p.m.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the wave of deadly attacks in the northern Sinai Peninsula that have killed at least 30 soldiers.

The claim says the Islamic fighters attacked 15 positions belonging to the Egyptian army and security forces, and also carried out three "suicide operations."

It says the suicide bombings targeted two checkpoints and an officers' club in the nearby city of al-Arish. It says the clashes are continuing.

The authenticity of the claim could not be immediately verified but it was posted on a Facebook page associated with the group.

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11:30 a.m.

Egyptian security and military officials say a heavy battle is taking place in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, where militants are besieging the town's main police station.

The fighting is part of a wave of coordinated militant attacks launched on Wednesday morning in restive Sinai, just two days after the country's state prosecutor was assassinated in Cairo.

The officials say that as part of the attacks, a suicide car bombing destroyed one military checkpoint while another was first hit by mortar shells and rocket propelled grenades, then assaulted by militants.

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10:35 a.m.

Egypt's military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, says fighting is still underway in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, where militants unleashed a wave of attacks targeting the military on Wednesday morning, hitting army checkpoints, including one with a suicide car bombing.

Security and army officials have said that at least 30 troops died in the wave of attacks.

Samir says that clashes are continuing in the area between the armed forces and the militants.

His statement put the number of soldiers killed so far at 10, but the conflicting numbers could not immediately be reconciled in these early stages of the aftermath and an ongoing fluid situation on the ground.