3 Egypt troops, 30 militants killed in Sinai

CAIRO

Three Egyptian troops and 30 suspected militants have been killed as part of an ongoing security operation in the restive Sinai Peninsula last week, according to the Egyptian military on Wednesday.

A military statement said three police officers were killed in clashes with militants during a raid on their hideout in the North Sinai city of Arish.

Two police personnel were also injured in the clashes, during which 17 militants were killed, the statement said.

Five other militants were killed in a security swoop in central Sinai, including a senior leader, which the military statement named as “Nasser Abu Zaqoul”.

Local media said Abu Zaqoul is the deputy leader of the Daesh-linked Welayet Sinai group, which is blamed for a string of attacks in Sinai and other provinces.

According to the statement, eight militants were also killed during raids in north and central Sinai.

Security forces also rounded up 173 suspected militants in north and central Sinai over the past week, the statement said.

The new fatalities bring to 35 troops killed since the security operation against militants blamed for a string of attacks across the country began on Feb. 9.

Around 4,230 people have also been detained.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since 2013, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a military coup.

Reporting by Mohamed al-Rayes:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat