Egypt military operation kills 16 militants in Sinai Peninsula

At least 16 militants have been killed in a major security operation in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian army says.

Egyptian security vehicles take up positions in northern Sinai. Source: EPA

Sixteen militants have been killed and four others were arrested in a major security operation Sinai peninsula, the Egyptian army says.

Another 30 suspects were arrested, the army said in a statement carried by state TV.

The Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on November 29 ordered the military to defeat militants in North Sinai within three months, after an attack on a mosque which killed more than 300 people, the deadliest such incident in the Arab world's most populous country.

A military spokesman said in an earlier statement that the operation would cover large parts of Sinai, but also parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert, where other militants have waged attacks, some believed to be staged out of neighbouring Libya.

Security forces have for years battled an IS insurgency in North Sinai that has killed hundreds of soldiers and police. The militants have expanded their targets to include civilians over the last year or so.

The operation comes weeks ahead of a March 26-28 presidential election in which al-Sisi is seeking a second term.