14 militants killed in air raids in Egypt's Sinai

At least 14 militants were killed during military air raids over the past two days in Egypt's North Sinai Province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the military spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

The air raids are part of continuous efforts of the military and the police to eliminate terrorist dens in North Sinai, Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said, noting that the forces arrested 21 suspected terrorists, seized two pickup trucks belonging to them and busted a hut containing a number of explosive devices.

On March 23, Refaay announced similar security raids in central areas of North Sinai, while blasts killed 15 militants and 10 military personnel, including three officers.

Throughout March, security campaigns in the province killed at least 72 militants, arrested about 240 suspects over terror-related charges, ruined several smuggling tunnels and detained hundreds of relevant suspects, detonated dozens of explosive devices and seized large amounts of drugs, weapons and ammunition.

Anti-government terror attacks in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Later, security crackdown on Morsi's supporters left hundreds dead and thousands arrested, while his Muslim Brotherhood group was designated as a "terrorist organization."

Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Security campaigns in Sinai have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal.

During a military-held symposium in February, Mohamed Farag al-Shahhat, Egypt's military intelligence chief, said at least 500 extremely dangerous terrorists have been killed since a massive anti-terror campaign, known as "The Martyr's Right," started in September 2015.

 Source: Xinhua