Egyptian armed forces together with the police killed 19 militants in northern and central Sinai during anti-terror raids in the past days, a military spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. The raids also destroyed three explosive devices, three tunnels and several hideouts containing weapons and ammunition, in addition to nine vehicles and 15 motorbikes used by the terrorists, said the statement. The army announced killing 21 terrorists in similar anti-terror campaigns last week. The raids are part of the Sinai 2018 anti-terror operation that has killed around 270 terrorists since it was launched on Feb. 9. At least 33 soldiers have been killed in the operation so far. Egypt has been fighting a wave of terrorism that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, as well as civilians, since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. A Sinai-based group loyal to the militant group Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for most of the terror attacks in Egypt over the past few years.
