CAIRO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least five militants were killed and six others were wounded as the Egyptian army foiled a terrorist attack against a checkpoint in North Sinai province, the Egyptian army said in a statement on Thursday.
"Some terrorist elements attempted to sneak into the area surrounding the checkpoint and after fire exchange they hid in nearby places where the air forces immediately pursued and targeted them," said the statement, noting the raid also destroyed a vehicle and the two buildings where they hid.
Over the past couple of days, similar air raids have killed a large number of terrorists involved in the recent deadly anti-police attack at a mountainous area in western Fayoum province south of the capital Cairo.
The anti-police attack took place during two-day confrontations between security forces and terrorists that started on Oct. 20, leaving 16 policemen dead and 13 wounded. The clashes also left 15 militants either dead or injured.
Last week, the security forces also announced the killing of 12 "very dangerous terrorist elements" in the western desert region near Al-Wahat highway on the outskirts of Giza, south of Cairo, where the 16 policemen were killed.
Egypt has been suffering a wave of bloody insurgency that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Terror attacks have been centered in restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, before spreading nationwide and targeting the Coptic minority as well. Most of the terrorist operations have been claimed by a Sinai-based group affiliated with the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The Egyptian military and police have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's removal.
