Egypt army says 10 soldiers killed or injured in North Sinai blast

Army soldiers guard the entrance of tunnels and the Suez Canal area, in Ismailia, Egypt November 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt’s army said on Thursday that 10 soldiers were either killed or wounded in a blast targeting an armoured vehicle in the restive northern Sinai.

The attack occurred south the city of Bir al-Abed in the troubled North Sinai region, the epicentre of a long-running Islamist insurgency spearheaded by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group.

Army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai said the 10 casualties included an officer but did not provide details on the number of those killed or wounded.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended his condolences to the victims on Twitter.

Security forces have for years been battling to contain the insurgency in the turbulent North Sinai which intensified following the military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Scores of soldiers and police were killed in militant attacks especially in the turbulent region over the years.

In February 2018, Egyptian security forces launched a nationwide, large-scale operation against militants, mainly focused on the North Sinai region.

More than 845 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with more than 60 security personnel, according to army figures.

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