CAIRO, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian army killed 3 terrorists and arrested 224 criminals and suspected militants amid a major anti-terror operation, the military announced Friday.
In the latest raids conducted as part of the "Operation Sinai 2018" launched last Friday, the army destroyed 68 targets including shelters and hideouts for terrorists, Egyptian military spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said in a statement on the 8th day of operation.
In the raids, the Egyptian army also destroyed 10 vans, 22 motorbikes, and 150 mountain huts, hideouts and warehouses containing explosives and chemicals used for making improvised explosive devices.
Five hashish farms were destroyed and 2.5 tons of narcotic substances were seized, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian navy forces continue tightening their grip along the coastal areas to prevent infiltration of terrorists into areas where the operation is ongoing.
Egyptian air forces also continue to tighten the control of the southern and western borders in coordination with the border guards to cut supplies to terrorists.
"Operation Sinai 2018" is conducted mainly in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel, central Nile Delta and Western Desert near the border with Libya.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the armed forces in November to uproot terrorists within three months after an attack on a mosque in northern Sinai, which killed more than 300 people in the city of Arish.