Egypts military said Wednesday that three officers and 30 militants have been killed in the last week in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, where the army and security forces are battling ISIS militants. The statement said another two troops were wounded. The military said at least 173 suspects have been arrested and that airstrikes in the Western Desert destroyed 10 vehicles laden with weapons and ammunition. "Operation Sinai 2018", which started in February, has targeted militants in the peninsula as well as parts of the Nile Delta region and the Western Desert, along the porous border with Libya. Security forces have stepped up efforts to quell attacks by an Egyptian militant group that has declared allegiance to ISIS. Militants have killed hundreds of soldiers, policemen and civilians, mainly in their North Sinai stronghold but also elsewhere in Egypt.