CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian security forces killed three suspected militants and arrested 74 others in raids targeting militant groups in North Sinai in recent days, the military said in a statement on Thursday.

Egypt faces an Islamist insurgency led by the Islamic State group in the Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed since 2013.

The military did not name a specific militant group or release the names of those killed but said the militants were “highly dangerous”.

As part of their raids security forces destroyed five four-wheel drive vehicles and four storage sites used to manufacture improvised explosive devices, the military statement said.