Egyptian army troops deployed in North Sinai (Photo: Reuters)
Two police conscripts were killed and 16 others injured early Saturday when an IED (improvised explosive device) detonated in North Sinai, the interior ministry announced.
According to the short statement issued by the ministry, the IED, planted by unknown assailants, detonated when a security forces armoured vehicle was passing on a road in Al-Arish.
The injured were taken to hospital to receive treatment.
The North-Sinai based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis — an Islamic State affiliated group — claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on social media networks.
Egypt's security forces are currently fighting a campaign against a decade-long militant insurgency in North Sinai.
Last week, the Egyptian armed forces announced the end of the first stage of the "Martyrs' Right" operation, which involved the killing of over 500 militants in North Sinai in 16 days.
Militants have killed hundreds of police and army personnel in the past year and a half in North Sinai, while authorities have announced that hundreds of militants have been killed in military campaigns in the governorate.
The Islamist group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, recently renamed Sinai Province, has claimed responsibility for most attacks against security forces in North Sinai.
Short link: