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Sinai Bomb Kills Seven Egypt Soldiers

A roadside bomb killed seven Egyptian soldiers and wounded four in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Sunday, security officials said.

The bomb exploded next to an armored vehicle guarding a gas pipeline in north Sinai, the officials said.

Militants have killed scores of policemen and soldiers in the rugged peninsula since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

A military official said first responders were still assessing the casualties.

The attack came three days after a similar bombing killed two policemen in the north Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish.

Militants killed 17 policemen in Sinai in two bombings in September and later released footage of the attacks.

Those attacks were claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the most active militant group in Egypt. It tried to assassinate the interior minister in Cairo last year with a car bomb.

The group has expressed support for Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, although it has not formally pledged its allegiance.

The militants say they target policemen and soldiers to avenge a bloody police crackdown on Islamists after Morsi's overthrow, which killed hundreds in street clashes and imprisoned thousands.

Source: Agence France Presse


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