3 soldiers killed in Egypt's Sinai blast

At least three Egyptian soldiers were killed on Friday as a roadside bomb targeted their armored vehicle in restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a security source told Xinhua.

"An explosive device was remotely detonated by militants some 80 km from North Sinai's Arish city, which killed three soldiers and injured four others who were taken to a nearby military hospital in Suez," said the source.

The news was confirmed by Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay who said in a statement on Friday that security raids in North Sinai also killed three militants and arrested three others.

"The raids further destroyed a large warehouse of anti-tank mines and vehicle spare parts, three caves used for storage of explosives, four caves of ammunition, eight vehicles and four explosive motorbikes," said the military spokesman.

He noted that the forces also raided four houses and burnt down 21 huts used by the militants as hideouts.

Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in growing anti-government terror attacks in Egypt since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Since early January, at least 25 police and military personnel have been killed in blasts and confrontations nationwide. Most of the terrorist attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based militant group loyal to the regional Islamic State group.

Security campaigns in Sinai killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's ouster.

Military Intelligence Chief, Gen. Mohamed Farag al-Shahhat, said earlier in February, during a military-held symposium, that at least 500 extremely dangerous terrorists have been killed since a massive anti-terror campaign, known as "The Martyr's Right," started in September 2015. Endit