Armed group ISIL claims duty for the assault in an announcement on an ISIL-affiliated web site.
A roadside bomb exploded within the restive northern a part of the Sinai Peninsula, killing eight members of Egypt’s safety forces, together with an officer, whereas six others have been wounded.
The troops have been using an armoured automobile when the bomb went off in New Rafah, a city on the border with the Gaza Strip, stated officers who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t authorised to talk to the media.
The wounded, who suffered severe accidents, have been transferred to a army hospital within the close by Mediterranean metropolis of el-Arish late on Thursday.
The armed group ISIL (ISIS) claimed duty for the assault in an announcement on an ISIL-affiliated web site.
In an analogous assault final month, ISIL fighters ambushed a checkpoint within the city of Sheikh Zuweid, killing at the very least 5 troops and wounding at the very least six others.
Egypt has been battling armed teams in northern Sinai for years. Violence and instability there intensified after the 2013 army coup that eliminated Mohamed Morsi, an elected however divisive president, amid nationwide protests in opposition to his transient rule.
The fighters have carried out quite a few assaults, primarily focusing on Egyptian safety forces, minority Christians, and those that they accuse of collaborating with the army and police.
Hidden battle
Additionally on Thursday, the spokesman of Egypt’s armed forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez Gharib, issued an announcement saying 9 troops have been killed and wounded in clashes in Sinai.
Nevertheless, he didn’t present the breakdown of the casualties. It additionally remained unclear which assault he was referring to.
Gharib added the armed forces killed 13 fighters and confiscated 15 computerized rifles and ammunition in northern and central Sinai. He didn’t specify when precisely these killings occurred.
The battle in opposition to armed teams in Sinai has largely taken place hidden from the general public eye, with journalists, non-residents and out of doors observers barred from the realm. The battle has additionally been stored at a distance from vacationer resorts on the southern finish of the peninsula.