Egypt's military: 13 militants killed and nine troops killed or wounded in Sinai

Official statement did not disclose circumstances in which the casualties occurred

The Egyptian military said the fighting was part of operations in northern and central Sinai. AFP

Egypt’s military said on Thursday that nine troops had been killed or wounded in an operation against extremists in the Sinai Peninsula.

Thirteen militants were killed in the operation, the military added in a statement.

It said the fighting was part of operations in northern and central Sinai.

The cryptic statement did not disclose the circumstances in which the troops and militants were killed and wounded. It also did not say when the fighting took place or give an exact location for the deadly incident.

It said the troops had also seized 15 automatic rifles as well as explosives and a number of motorbikes, which are frequently used by militants in attacks.

Egypt’s security forces have been battling extremists in the Sinai for years. Attacks by the militants increased in frequency and became more deadly following the military's 2013 removal of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, whose one year in office proved divisive.

However, high-profile attacks by extremists have abated since 2017 after the military stepped up operations in the Sinai, which borders the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel.