Firefight in Egypt oasis leaves village besieged

Officials and witnesses say a gang of robbers attacked a village in southern Egypt after being surprised by police while trying to steal railroad tracks for scrap metal. Residents of Sana'a in Kharga oasis 520km south of Cairo say the gang exchanged fire with police on Monday and took villagers as hostages. One villager was killed during the fighting. The gang then holed up on a mountaintop where they are now besieged by police, security officials said Tuesday. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Much of Egypt has experienced a security vacuum since 2011's mass uprising against longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. The clash took place on the same day as a family vendetta in northern Cairo left five dead.