CAIRO
Egyptian army troops have killed 12 militants and detained 11 others in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a military spokesman.
"Five terrorists were killed when a vehicle they were riding exploded during an army attack on terrorist hideouts in North Sinai on Friday," spokesman Mohamed Samir wrote on his official Facebook page on Saturday.
"Seven other terrorists were killed in clashes with security forces," he added.
The spokesman said that 11 suspected militants had also been detained by army forces.
According to the spokesman, 40 huts, 36 houses and several motorbikes and vehicles used by militants had been destroyed.
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip, has seen a spate of attacks by unknown gunmen since last summer's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi by the army.
Since then, the Egyptian armed forces have launched a major offensive against militant groups that it claims are based in the peninsula.
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