At least 30 militants were killed and 10 others seriously injured on Thursday as security forces foiled a militant attempt targeting a checkpoint southern Sheikh Zuweid city of Egypt's restive North Sinai province."The fire exchange left four individuals killed and eight others injured," Xinhua quoted an Egyptian military spokesman as saying.The spokesman added that the security raids destroyed eight farms used as hideouts for the militants, as well as four of their vehicles and a motorbike."Abu Refa'ei area at the international coastal road passing through Sheikh Zuweid is also witnessing confrontations between security forces and militants that led some residents to leave the area and temporarily stay elsewhere," sources said.
Meanwhile, two security recruits and a civilian were wounded on Thursday as a blast targeted a security patrol at the coastal road in the area between Arish and Sheikh Zuweid cities, medics and security sources siad.Earlier in the day, a bomb disposal team defused an improvised explosive device planted near a school and a power transformer in Arish city.Egypt has been suffering growing anti-government terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the army, led by now-President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, ousted former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.