Two policemen killed in North Sinai blast

Monday 11-07-2016 03:32 PM

A security checkpoint at al-Arish city, Reuters

CAIRO, Jul 11 (Aswat Masriya) - Two policemen were killed in a roadside bombing in North Sinai town of al-Arish on Monday, Egypt's interior ministry said.

A roadside bomb went off as a security vehicle was passing by, leaving first lieutenant Mahmoud al-Sedik Mahmoud and sergeant Magdy Shaaban Abdel Aziz dead, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The statement added that the blast left two other policemen and a police conscript injured, saying they are currently being hospitalised. 

The explosion comes two days after low-ranking policeman Galal Mohamed Soliman al-Damanhoury was killed by unidentified men in a shooting in Arish.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule.

Most of the insurgent activities which target security personnel and facilities occur in the restive Sinai peninsula, particularly in North Sinai.

The group known as "Sinai Province", affiliated with Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, claim most of the attacks in the area.

The military in conjunction with the police forces have embarked on several security campaigns in North Sinai aimed to fight militants.

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