Cairo, Feb 16 (IANS) As many as seven militants were killed on Saturday in a shootout at a checkpoint in the country's North Sinai province, officials said. 15 military personnel were either killed or wounded in the gun battle, he added.

Military spokesman Tamer al-Refai said the forces were searching the area for other terrorists, Xinhua news agency reported.

Egypt has been facing terrorist violence, which has killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians, following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his Muslim Brotherhood, currently banned.

Most terror attacks in Egypt in the past few years were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Army and police have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the ongoing anti-terror war declared by Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

--IANS soni/pcj