According to the army spokesman, the ground troops raided their hideouts in the provincial capital city of el-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid town, and the city of Rafah, which borders with the Gaza Strip in Palestine, the Egyptian Ahram Online newspaper reported on Saturday, adding that the Friday operation was aided by an army helicopter cover.

The spokesman also said that six other people were nabbed on suspicion of conducting assaults against security forces.

The Sinai region is under a state of emergency since October 2014, following a deadly terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 33 soldiers.

Over the past years, militants have been carrying out anti-government activities and deadly attacks, taking advantage of the turmoil caused in Egypt after democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013.

The government in Cairo has been battling militants in Sinai for years now and views the volatile region as a safe haven for terrorists.

Militants from the Velayat Sinai Takfiri group, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, have claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, mainly targeting the army and police.

In November 2014, the group pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is wreaking havoc in Iraq, Syria and much closer in Libya, Press TV reported.

S/SH