CAIRO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian armed forces together with police killed 21 terrorists in North and Central Sinai during anti-terrorist raids over the past few days, a military spokesperson said on Thursday.
The air forces killed three terrorists while targeting four vehicles in their possession and the troops killed 18 others in fire exchange during raids on their hideouts in North and Central Sinai, Tamer al-Refaay said in a statement.
He added that six militants were arrested during the raids including a highly dangerous terrorist, in addition to the arrest of 232 suspects and wanted defendants in criminal cases who have been referred to concerned authorities.
The forces also destroyed 391 terrorist dens and hideouts and 15 trenches, besides ruining and seizing 30 vehicles and 49 motorbikes belonging to the terrorists.
An amount of weapons, explosives, ammunition and wireless communication devices were also seized during the raids according to the statement.
The raids are part of the large-scale anti-terrorist operation "Sinai 2018" that killed more than 250 terrorists since it was launched by the Egyptian forces on Feb. 9. At least 33 soldiers have been killed in the confrontations so far.
Egypt has been fighting a wave of terrorism that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, as well as civilians, since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
A Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist attacks in Egypt over the past few years.
Meanwhile, security forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terrorist war declared by newly re-elected President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster.
