At least 52 suspected militants were killed in recent days in the northern Sinai region, announced the Egyptian military on Sunday as it continues its operation in the area to crackdown on terrorists. A defense ministry statement identified 13 of the militants as “extremely dangerous takfiris”. They were killed in an operation by security forces in the city of al-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province. The remaining 39 militants were killed in various military operations across northern and central Sinai, the military statement said, without giving any breakdown. The deaths have raised to at least 313 suspected militants, according to a Reuters count based on military statements. The military said that another 49 suspected militants have been arrested. Some 26 hideouts have been destroyed and weapons depots seized, it added, while revealing that 64 explosive devices have been dismantled. The military added that airstrikes destroyed 32 vehicles containing weapons and ammunition in the Western Desert and in the south. Egypt launched a nationwide operation against terrorists in February. It has struggled to combat a long-running insurgency in the Sinai that gained strength after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. The insurgents had sworn allegiance to ISIS.