Egyptian army kills 89 extremists in North Sinai

Cairo, Aug 1 (IANS) The Egyptian Army said on Sunday that it has recently killed 89 "highly dangerous extremists" in the country's North Sinai province.The military also detected and destroyed 404 improvised explosive devices and four explosive belts, seized 73 machine guns and destroyed 52 vehicles used by the extremist militants "in carrying out their terrorist operations", the Egyptian army said in a statement, without identifying the exact period of the recent raids, Xinhua news agency reported.The statement also noted that "eight soldiers were killed or wounded in the confrontations".Bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, North Sinai has for years been a hideout for militants loyal to the Islamic State regional terrorist group.
--IANS int/pgh