11 Militants Killed İn Egypt's Sinai: Security Source

At least 11 militants were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the city of Al-Arish in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian security source said Wednesday.



In remarks "ed by Egypt's official MENA news agency, the source -- who was not named -- said security forces had targeted a "terrorist hideout" in an abandoned home in Al-Arish, which is located in northeastern Sinai.



"Following an exchange of fire, 11 militant elements were killed... and two explosive devices defused," MENA "ed the source as saying.



The news agency refrained from saying whether security forces had sustained any casualties during the operation.



Anadolu Agency has been unable to independently verify the source's claims.



Since February, the Egyptian army has waged a large-scale operation against Sinai-based militants who it blames for carrying out a string of attacks on security personnel.



The restive Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, was ousted in a bloody military coup. -