Egypt forces kill 21 militants in Sinai

At least 21 militants were killed by the Egyptian armed forces on Wednesday during air raids on their cells in Rafah border city of North Sinai province, a security source told Xinhua.

The forces used Apaches in the operation which belonged to Sinai-based Al-Qaida-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) group, the source said.

An Apache attacked on a farm at Sahel al-Bahr area in Rafah, killing 15 militants, the source said, adding that another attack helicopter hit the southern Matalla town, killing six militants and exploding a warehouse for ammunition and explosives.

The raids are part of a massive security campaign the Egyptian leadership has launched against militants following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule and his Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terrorist activities mounted in Egypt since Morsi's overthrow and the following security crackdown on his loyalists left about 1,000 killed and thousands more arrested.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed in anti-government attacks carried out by militants and self-proclaimed Islamists.

Most of the attacks took place in the northern part of the restive Sinai Peninsula, while some of them extended to the capital Cairo and other provinces across the country.

The ABM group, which has previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) regional militant group and changed its name into "Sinai State," claimed responsibility for most of the anti-government attacks in Egypt.

Egypt's new military-oriented leadership, led by former army chief and now President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, has declared "war on terrorism" against self-proclaimed Islamists who support the deposed Islamist president. Endit