One officer and three soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in the town of Rafah in North Sinai on Tuesday, according to local news reports.
A roadside bomb detonated while an armoured vehicle was passing near Rafah City Council, killing four security personnel aboard. Four others were injured and have been transferred to Al-Arish Military Hospital.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack as of yet. However, a security source revealed to local newspaper Al-Watan that the attack was executed by “Islamic State” (IS)- affiliated terrorist group “State of Sinai”. The group, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for the majority of attacks against security forces in North Sinai.
The attack took place one day after a police conscript was killed and four others were injured in a similar attack in Al-Arish.
Insurgents intensified attacks in North Sinai since ousting former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The governorate became the scene of clashes between the militants and Egyptian armed forces, who launched an intensified counter-insurgency campaign.
