CAIRO
At least three Egyptian soldiers were killed and over ten injured in an attack that targeted a military intelligence headquarters in the northern Sinai Peninsula, state television reported Wednesday.
The attack came as the Egyptian army steps up a massive offensive against militant groups thought to be based in the restive peninsula, which shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The region has seen almost daily attacks by unknown gunmen since the July 3 military ouster of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi. Last month, 25 policemen were killed in North Sinai in an attack by suspected militants.
According to a statement by army spokesman Ahmed Ali, military and police personnel killed nine Sinai-based militants and arrested as many others this week.
Troops also destroyed 118 suspected militant hideouts, three weapons caches and 33 vehicles allegedly loaded with weapons, he added.
The ongoing campaign has targeted the villages of Touma, Zuhair, Goura and Maqdaba – all of which are located in the peninsula's north, near the border with the besieged Gaza Strip.
Reliable security sources told Anadolu Agency that the current offensive in Sinai was the most extensive military operation to be seen on the peninsula since the 1973 war with Israel.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
