Egypt's military said two soldiers were killed Saturday during a widescale offensive against jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula that killed 64 militants on its sixth day.

The military launched the campaign Monday to uproot militants loyal to the Islamic State group who have turned the northern part of the peninsula into a launch pad for attacks.

It says it has killed 296 militants since the start of the operation, including those killed on Saturday. It was not possible independently to verify the toll.

Eight soldiers have been killed according to the military, including the two on Saturday.

Egypt has been struggling to quell an insurgency in the peninsula since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

The government says hundreds of police and soldiers have been killed, many of them in attacks claimed by IS's Sinai Province affiliate.

The operation came days after the Sinai Province released a video documenting its attacks on the military in Sinai, including footage of a wire-guided missile strike that destroyed a navy vessel.