Four Egyptian crewmen were killed when their aircraft malfunctioned and crashed during an operation against militants in the southwest of the country on Thursday

Four Egyptian crewmen were killed when their aircraft malfunctioned and crashed during an operation against militants in the southwest of the country on Thursday, the army said.

The military spokesman said two crewmen were also wounded, and that four vehicles belonging to militants were destroyed during the operation.

No details were given on the type of aircraft or the nature of the operation.

The army has been fighting an ISIL insurgency in the eastern Sinai Peninsula, where the militants have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen.

The reported clashes Thursday come a day after ISIL said it beheaded a Croatian hostage abducted near Cairo.