450 extremists killed in Sinai offensive: army

The Egyptian army said Tuesday (October 16th) that 450 extremists are estimated to have been killed in its eight-month offensive against the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in the Sinai Peninsula.

The military launched a large-scale operation dubbed "Sinai 2018" in February to rid Sinai of ISIS extremists after an attack on a mosque in the north of the peninsula that killed more than 300 people.

Since the start of the campaign, 450 extremists were presumed to have been killed "in the north and the centre of Sinai by (soldiers) and police", army spokesman Tamer al-Rifaie told AFP.

According to army figures, around 30 soldiers have been killed during the operation.

A countrywide state of emergency was imposed in April last year, following two suicide bombings at churches which were claimed by ISIS.

On Tuesday, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended the measure by a further three months.

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