News / Egypt

Bomb explosions leave 4 security forces dead in Egypt

Monday, 01 February 2016 1:37 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 01 February 2016 1:38 AM ]

A man stands next to an ambulance outside the Swiss Inn hotel in the Egyptian town of el-Arish, in the Sinai peninsula, following an attack on the hotel by two bombers and a gunman on November 24, 2015. (AFP)

At least 4 members of Egypt’s security forces have been killed in two separate bomb explosions in the country’s volatile Sinai Peninsula.

Both attacks targeted the country's military personnel on Monday.

In one attack, a remotely controlled bomb hit a vehicle belonging to the region’s police forces killing two cops, officials told local media.

The attack happened in the far northeast of Egypt in the Rafah region, on the border with the besieged Gaza Strip.

The other bomb attack killed an army officer and a soldier in the Sheikh Zuwaid region of northern Sinai.

No individual or group has yet claimed responsibility for the act of violence, but such assaults are usually blamed on the Daesh-affiliated militants operating in Sinai.

Local media say that security forces have launched an investigation into the attacks.

The Egyptian military has been engaged in operations to quell acts of terrorism and militancy in the Sinai Peninsula. It views the volatile region as a sanctuary for extremists, who use it as a safe haven.

The militant group Velayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks there. Last November, the group pledged allegiance to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, mainly operating in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

According to Egyptian authorities, hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed during attacks in the region since 2013.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk