Egypt's army announced Sunday that more than 70 alleged jihadists, affiliated to the Islamic State terrorist organization, have been killed in recent military operations in North Sinai.

Iran Press/ Africa: A statement by the Egyptian army said that the operations had targeted alleged "homes of terrorists" and "takfiri elements" leading to "the deaths of 73 takfiris in northern Sinai" between July 22 and August 30.

Four other "takfiris" were killed, the statement added, without elaborating.

The term "takfiri" is used by Egyptian security officials to refer to jihadists.

During the clashes "three officers and four soldiers were killed or wounded," the statement said, without providing further details.

In February 2018, security forces launched a nationwide operation against militants, focused on North Sinai.

More than 930 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with dozens of security personnel, according to official figures.

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