DHAKA: At least 29 militants have been killed and 31 others arrested in army raids in Egypt’s volatile northern Sinai region.

The military sources said this on Thursday.

The raids were conducted in Rafah, Al-Arish and Sheikh Zawayed from April 5 to 8, army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said, reports the Times of India.

About 31 suspected militants were arrested and 67 militants’ headquarters were destroyed. 106 unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles used by militants in their attacks against police and army personnel were destroyed, Samir said in a statement.

Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Over 500 security personnel have been killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

BDST: 0216 HRS, APR 10, 2015
BD/