Egypt says 3 troops killed amid Sinai operation

By Viola Fahmi

CAIRO

Three Egyptian troops have been killed in an ongoing military operation against militants in the restive Sinai Peninsula, according to a military spokesman on Tuesday.

The spokesman, Col. Tamer Rifai, did not explain how the troops were killed, but said security forces have killed 11 militants in the past four days.

He said a suicide attack against army forces had been thwarted, without elaborating.

The spokesman said 641 "criminal elements" were detained as well as 419 foreigners while trying to infiltrate across the border.

Tuesday's death toll brings to 10 soldiers and 82 militants killed since the operation began on Feb. 9 against militants blamed for a string of attacks across the country. More than 2,900 people have also been detained.

The military spokesman said two underground tunnels between the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip and 375 “terrorist” hideouts have been destroyed.

The Sinai operation comes amid preparations to hold the country's presidential election in March, in which incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi seeks re-election.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since 2013, when the army ousted Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a military coup.