The Egyptian army announced Sunday that 10 "Takfiris" were killed during confrontations with elements of the armed forces and police in northern Sinai while two officers and two soldiers died during the same operations. Egyptian Military Spokesman Col. Tamer Rifai has issued statement No. 14 since the beginning of the counter-terrorist “Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018” (COS 2018), on behalf of the armed forces that was launched mid-February. The army said in a statement that its forces "continue to defeat the forces of evil and terrorism and uproot its roots from all over Egypt." It added that “the air forces have targeted and destroyed six sites for terrorist elements and two booby-trapped cars designed to target our forces in areas of operations.” The statement pointed out that the army has received information saying that 10 militants were hiding in one of the abandoned buildings in the city of Arish, and that "they were killed during the clash with the army and police forces, who seized from them six automatic rifles and quantities of ammunition.” The army explained that four of its elements were killed during the operations and three others were wounded. Speaking at a military ceremony attended by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Egyptian Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid called for the operation to be extended, saying troops needed more time to dismantle militant fortifications and clear explosives out of residential neighborhoods. On the other hand, the Egyptian army announced arresting 245 suspects in an ongoing clampdown on extremists in the Sinai Peninsula, and it destroyed 145 shelters and warehouses in the mountainous region along with trenches used by terrorists. The army added that a workshop used to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was also discovered along with an underground storehouse containing more than 10,000 liters of petrol. They also destroyed 39 IEDs, which were planted to target the security forces. Meanwhile, 12 cars and 28 unlicensed motorcycles used to carry out militant attacks were also found. The air force discovered and destroyed 11 vehicles laden with explosives and ammunition as they attempted to infiltrate into Egypt across the nations western borders. The army and police have conducted 609 patrols and security checkpoints on main roads and routes nationwide, according to the statement.