Egypt kills militants, seizes arms in Sinai

Egyptian forces have killed nearly three dozen people so far in its fight against jihadis in the volatile Sinai peninsula, the army said Saturday.

The deaths occurred during an ongoing Egyptian operation against militants near the Palestinian territory of Gaza, a military spokesman said, according to state media.

Sinai has fallen into a state of lawlessness since the uprising that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last year. Both Israel and the United States have voiced their concern about the rise of terrorist cells in the Sinai.

Soldiers killed 32 suspected terrorists and destroyed 31 tunnels connecting Gaza and Egypt since a military offensive in the region began last month, said spokesman Col. Ahmad Mohamed Ali.

Scores of tunnels have been used for smuggling everyday goods to Palestinian civilians because of an Israeli trade strictures. Weaponry has also been smuggled.