Egypt's army said that 73 alleged jihadists have been killed in recent military operations in North Sinai, the location of an insurrection affiliated to the Islamic State group.

A statement by the Egyptian army said that the operations had targeted alleged "homes of terrorists" and "takfiri elements" leading to "the deaths of 73 takfiris in northern Sinai" between July 22 and August 30.

Four other "takfiris" were killed, the statement added, without elaborating.

The term "takfiri" is used by Egyptian security officials to refer to jihadists.

During the clashes "three officers and four soldiers were killed or wounded," the statement said, without providing further details.

In February 2018, security forces launched a nationwide operation against militants, focused on North Sinai.