Egyptian police killed 13 “terrorists” in a shootout as they raided a hideout in the country’s south on Friday, a week after a deadly ambush by militants, the interior ministry said.

The operation, in which assault rifles and explosive belts were recovered, took place at a farm used by the militants for training and recruitment, the ministry said in a statement.

It was not clear whether they were suspected of involvement in an October 21 desert ambush that killed 16 policemen, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) from the site of Friday’s operation.

“Organizational material and religious books” were also found at the site in the southwestern New Valley province, the ministry said, without reporting any police casualties.

Source: AFP