Egypt's military spokesman Tamer El-Refai has said that more than 450 terrorists have been killed since the launch of Operation Sinai 2018 earlier this year.

In an excerpt from an interview with the Saudi owned Al-Arabiya channel, El-Refai said that preserving the lives and safety of civilians had caused the duration of the comprehensive counter-terrorism operation to be extended.

Operation Sinai 2018 was launched in February to tackle terrorist and criminal organisations, and has been mainly conducted in north and central Sinai, as well as in areas in the Nile Delta and desert areas west of the Nile Valley.

The operation involves land, naval and air forces, as well as the police and border guards.

In November 2017, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered the Egyptian army and police forces to restore stability and security in the Sinai Peninsula within three months, using the "utmost force."

El-Refai's interview with Al-Arabiya channel is set to be broadcast in full on Tuesday at 6pm.

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