9 militants killed in Egypt's Sinai security raids

Nine militant extremists were killed during anti-terrorist military raids in Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid cities of Egypt's restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement Thursday.

"The operations also defused 40 explosive devices and destroyed 43 hideouts of the terrorist elements," Military Spokesman Mohamed Samir said in the statement.

Over the past two days, similar raids in the northern part of the peninsula left 17 militants dead while the security forces ruined 57 explosive devices.

Meanwhile, a security source told Xinhua on Thursday that a conscript was killed and four others wounded in two blasts in Rafah, whereas terrorist elements gunned down two citizens in Arish over cooperating with the security forces.

Egypt has been facing a wave of terrorist activities since the military removed 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.

Anti-government attacks over the past few years killed hundreds of police and military men, with a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State claiming responsibility for most of them.