Egypt's army spokesman Mohamed Samir (Photo: Official Facebook page of Mohamed Samir)
An army officer and a soldier were killed on Saturday morning during attempts by army personneol an improvised explosive device (IED) in North Sinai's Karm Al-Kwadis area, Egypt's army said in a statement.
A non-commissioned officer was also injured.
The army spokesman Colonel Mohamed Samir said on his Facebook page that an IED, thich was planted by ' terrorist elements', was discovered by the army during a a routine combing of the area. The device exploded as experts attempted to defuse it, the spokesperson said.
Egypt’s security forces have been fighting a decade-long Islamist militant insurgency that has spiked in the past two and half years. IEDs planted by insurgents have killed and injured hundreds of security personnel during that period.
Authorities have also announced that hundreds of militants were killed during army campaigns in the North Sinai governorate.
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