Police kill ten 'terrorists' in Egypt's Sinai: Ministry

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian police forces have killed 10 militants in the restive Sinai Peninsula, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

“Ten terrorists were killed in a pre-emptive raid by security forces on their hideout in the North Sinai city of Arish,” Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency reported, citing a statement released by the ministry.

According to the news agency, the targeted militants had been planning attacks on security forces deployed in the area.

The militants were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire with security forces.

The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of a low-intensity militant insurgency since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president -- was ousted in a military coup.

Since February, security forces have waged extensive operations against militants in Sinai and western Egypt suspected of carrying out a series of recent attacks.