Cairo: Egypt said on Monday three of its soldiers had been killed in the Sinai Peninsula during a wide-ranging operation against the local Daesh branch.
Four extremists were also killed, the military said in a statement.
It was the first military death toll announced since the army started its campaign on February 9.
It says it has killed about 60 militants and arrested hundreds of suspects since the operation began.
It launched the offensive after Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi gave his army commander a three-month deadline in November to quash an insurgency which has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen.
The ultimatum came after suspected Daesh gunmen massacred more than 300 worshippers at a mosque in northern Sinai the same month.
The group has also targeted Christians, killing more than 100 in suicide bombings and attacks since December 2016.
On Thursday, Daesh used its Al Nabaa propaganda newsletter to threaten further attacks on Christians and tourists in Egypt.
The group had claimed responsibility for a 2015 Russian airliner bombing that killed all 224 people on board after the plane took off from a southern Sinai resort.
Egypt is holding a presidential election next month, which Al Sissi is expected to easily win. Daesh has also threatened attacks on election-related installations.
— AFP
