CAIRO — Twenty-one suspected militants were killed in clashes with Egyptian security forces in North Sinai, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement.

The interior ministry said in a statement that police raided two hideouts of "terrorist elements" in North Sinai governorate, triggering a gun battle in which two officers were also wounded.

The ministry the two groups had been planning attacks during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which starts in Egypt on Sunday.

Security forces found automatic weapons and suicide belts in the hideouts.

Militants affiliated to Daesh (the so-called IS) are active in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, where Egypt has been battling an insurgency for years.

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

Around 950 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with dozens of security personnel, according to official figures. — Agencies