The Egyptian armed forces announced on Saturday that it has killed 60 militants in Sinai over the past 12 days, and arrested 102 others suspected of involvement in recent attacks, reported Al-Ahram's Arabic website.

The military said it has also confiscated weapons hidden in tunnels at the Rafah borders and had discovered three cars carrying 650kg of cannabis.

The Sinai peninsula has witnessed a wave of militant attacks against security forces since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July. Over 500 security forces have so far been killed in attacks in Sinai and the rest of the country.