Egypt said Monday three of its soldiers had been killed in the Sinai Peninsula during a wide-ranging operation against militants. It was the first report of military casualties since the army started its campaign on February 9. Four "extremists" were also killed, the military said in a statement. The army has killed about 60 militants and arrested hundreds of suspects since “Operation Sinai 2018” began. An Egyptian military spokesman said on Thursday that after crushing blows in Iraq and Syria, ISIS militants could be eyeing the Sinai Peninsula as a new home base. Operation Sinai 2018, which involves the army, navy, air force and police, targets "terrorist and criminal elements and organizations" in north and central Sinai, parts of the Nile delta and the western desert.