At least six army personnel, including an officer, were killed and two others injured today when militants targeted their armoured vehicle with a roadside bomb in Egypt’s volatile North Sinai region.
The roadside bomb was planted in an area that is a stronghold of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis militant group. The vehicle was on its way to an army checkpoint in Karam el-Quadies.
An officer, army sergeant and four conscripts were killed and two others were injured in the accident.
The military forces cordoned off the area and have launched special raids in response to the terrorist attack, officials said.
Sinai region has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsy in 2013.
Over 500 security personnel have been reported killed since then.
The military has launched frequent security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.
