(AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB)
By Nasser Al-Azazi
An improvised explosive device (IED) placed by militants along the International Al-Arish-Sheikh Zuweid Road went off Monday morning near a troop convoy leaving a Central Security base located in Rafah. Nine were injured as a result of the attack, including one civilian.
A security source stated that the IED exploded in the village of Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar along the International Road, resulting in the injury of 8 soldiers and one civilian. All were transferred to the Al-Arish Military Hospital, with their state since being described as stable.
The Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar region was recently placed on alert when security forces began pursuing militants in the region, closing the roads to vehicles seeking to enter the area.
The source added that Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar was home to a large number of armed militants, including those responsible for kidnapping seven soldiers last May.
The source added that on Sunday residents of Sheikh Zuweid reported the existence of an IED located along a road used by security forces to transport military vehicles to the region. Explosive experts were subsequently called in to defuse the IED before any additional vehicles were permitted to travel along the road.
