Cairo - The Egyptian military arrested 37 terrorist suspects and destroyed two smuggling tunnels during raids in North Sinai Province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a military spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. The arrest came one day after five soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb targeted their armored vehicle in Arish city of North Sinai. Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said on Saturday that 18 militants were killed during recent air raids in North Sinai's cities of Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid. Since the beginning of March, security campaigns in North Sinai have killed at least 30 militants, arrested more than 165 suspects over terror-related charges, detained about 300 suspects over charges including smuggling and illegal migration, ruined several smuggling tunnels, detonated dozens of explosive devices and seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition. In mid-February, at least three Egyptian soldiers were killed in central Sinai's Mount Halal area when their armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Three militants were killed and three others arrested in subsequent fightings. Anti-government 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. Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State 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.
