Cairo, May 8 (IANS): At least 11 Egyptian troops were killed and five others wounded in clashes with terrorists in western Sinai, the Egyptian army said in a statement.

The clashes took place on Saturday as the Egyptian troops foiled an attack by a group of terrorists on a water pumping station in western Sinai, Egyptian military spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The 11 troops who died in the clashes included 10 soldiers and an officer, while the armed forces are currently chasing the terrorists besieged in an isolated area, according to the spokesman.

Although the exact location was not specified in the statement, state-run Al-Ahram news website reported that the clashes took place at the checkpoint of "the East Canal Water Lifting Station."

Egypt has been combating terrorism in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula over the past decade and the country managed to greatly limit terrorist activities in the peninsula.

The terrorists in Sinai are mostly loyal to the Islamic State group.