CAIRO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 "terrorists" have been killed in an exchange of fire with the army men in Egypt's North Sinai province, the armed forces said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Seven army men including four soldiers and two officers have been killed and wounded in the clashes with the terrorists," said the statement.
The air forces have destroyed 437 of the terrorist hideouts in the strategic direction of the northeast part of the country, leaving 25 "highly dangerous terrorists" killed, it added.
Another 15 militants have been killed in another operation, according to the statement.
The military raids have destroyed six four-wheel-drive vehicles, five tunnels, 159 explosives devices, 32 motorbikes, and sized three automatic guns and several wireless communication sets.
Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terrorism that killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers, and civilians since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and the massive crackdown on his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Most of the attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based terrorist group loyal to the Islamic State. Enditem
