Egypt says five soldiers and dozens of terrorists were killed in recent clashes in the country's restive northern Sinai Peninsula.
Military spokesman Tamer al-Rifai issued a statement on Thursday saying that the five slain troops included an officer. He said four were wounded and as many as 47 terrorists were killed.
The statement didn't specify when the clashes took place. The last update on Sinai released by al-Rifai was on March 11.
It noted that scores of terrorist hideouts and large amounts of ammunition and bombs were uncovered. The bombs were safely detonated by the Egyptian forces, the statement said.
Egypt has been battling Islamist terrorists in Sinai for years. The area remains off-limits for journalists, diplomats and other observers. As a result, information from there cannot be independently verified.
