News / Egypt

4 Egyptian soldiers killed, 4 injured in Sinai blast: Report

Tuesday, 08 December 2015 1:21 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 08 December 2015 1:33 PM ]

Egyptian soldiers guard the entrance to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in south Sinai, Egypt, on November 6, 2015. (AP photo)

An explosion in Egypt’s volatile Sinai Peninsula has killed four soldiers and injured four others as deadly violence continues unabated in the region, a report says.

The blast occurred on Tuesday when a military convoy struck an explosive device in the border town of Rafah, located 340 kilometers (211 miles) east of the capital, Cairo, a security source told Turkey's official Anadolu news agency.

Although no group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings, the Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province) terrorist group, affiliated to the Takfiri Daesh group, has claimed similar attacks in the region in the past, including October 31 deadly bombing of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai Peninsula.

In late November, at least six people, including one election judge, died in bomb explosions targeting an area outside a hotel in North Sinai. The bombings also wounded 12 others.

This photo shows the aftermath of the car bomb attack against the police department building in the city of el-Arish, in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, on November 4, 2015.

Over the past years, militants have been carrying out anti-government activities, taking advantage of the turmoil caused in Egypt after democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013.

Cairo views the volatile Sinai region as a safe haven for terrorists.

The terrorists have targeted a multitude of government officials, policemen and army troops deployed to Sinai to restore security.

Egyptian security forces have been engaged in operations to quell acts of terrorism and militancy in the Sinai Peninsula.

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