The Egyptian military said on Monday that it killed 46 "extremely dangerous" suspected terrorists during a fire exchange in North and central Sinai. In a statement, the military said that three soldiers were killed during the army operations in the troubled governate. The military added that 17 vehicles and 14 motorcycles were destroyed during various raids and military operations. Furthermore, in the north, the air forces managed to target and destroy 15 hideouts belonging to the terrorists and demolished four vehicles used by them in their attacks. While in the south, forces shattered 17 vehicles used in smuggling supplies and weapons. The security forces apprehended 100 criminal elements and suspects. Meanwhile, the military engineers neutralised 204 explosive devices planted to attack security personnel, as well as destroyed 10 tunnel holes along the border strip in Rafah. Since October 2014, a state of emergency has been imposed in north Sinai. The governorate has been rocked by several terrorist attacks since 2013, targeting hundreds of security personnel, mostly carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group's branch in Sinai. More than a year ago, the military launched a comprehensive operation, titled ‘Sinai 2018', to confront militants in central and north Sinai, the Nile Delta region, and the Western Desert.
