2nd LD-Writethru: 8 Egyptian soldiers killed in terror attack in Sinai

CAIRO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least eight Egyptian soldiers were killed and 15 others were wounded in a terror attack on a military camp in Central Sinai, the military said Saturday.

"A group of 14 militant terrorists, four of them wearing explosive belts, attempted to break into one of the armed forces camps in Central Sinai before the sunrise," said Tamer al-Refaay, the military spokesman, in a statement.

In the confrontation, the security forces foiled the attack by killing all the terrorists, the statement added.

Earlier on Saturday, the Egyptian armed forces announced 27 militants were killed, and 114 others were arrested in the latest raids in Sinai Peninsula as part of the country's anti-terror military operation "Sinai 2018."

More than 190 militants and at least 22 soldiers have been killed in the massive operation launched on February 9.

Attacks are rarely carried out in Central Sinai.

Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, especially North Sinai province, has been the center of terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Most of the terror attacks were carried out by a Sinai-based group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group. Enditem