CAIRO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian army killed seven terrorists in restive North Sinai province northeastern the capital Cairo as part of Egypt's recently launched "Sinai 2018" comprehensive anti-terror campaign, the military spokesman announced on Saturday.
The military forces killed total 63 terrorists in the northern and central parts of the Sinai Peninsula since the large-scale counterterror operation started on Feb. 9, while the police simultaneously killed 13.
The forces detected and defused 45 explosive devices and destroyed 158 terrorist dens and hideouts containing arms and ammunition during the raids on Saturday, said military spokesman Tamer al-Refaay in a statement.
"408 wanted criminals and suspects have also been arrested," he added, raising the number of those arrested since the campaign started to about 1,300.
Bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, Egypt's North Sinai province has been the center of terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests.
Attacks later expanded to reach several other provinces including Cairo and started to target the Coptic minority via church bombings and shootings.
Egypt's terrorists did not stop at targeting security personnel and Copts, as they stormed a mosque in North Sinai's Arish city last November, killing at least 310 Muslim worshippers and injuring more than 120 others, which marks the deadliest terror attack and the first against a mosque in Egypt's modern history.
Most of the terror attacks were carried out by the so-called Wilayat Sinai (Sinai state or province), a Sinai-based group affiliated with the Islamic State regional terrorist group. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the mosque attack though.
Following the mosque attack, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered the army to restore security and stability in North Sinai within three months.
Egyptian security forces have so far killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster in 2013.
The comprehensive anti-terror operation "Sinai 2018" comes weeks before Egypt starts its 2018 presidential elections scheduled for late March, where incumbent President Sisi is expected to make an easy win for a second term due to the lack of strong challengers in the race.
