Egypt says 2 soldiers killed in northern Sinai car bomb

Local Islamic State affiliate claims responsibility for roadside explosion that injured 16 others in el-Arish

By AP 26 September 2015, 9:53 pm

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Smoke rises in Egypt's northern Sinai, as seen from the border of the Gaza Strip, amid fierce clashes between government forces and Islamic State-affiliated gunmen on July 1, 2015. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

CAIRO — Two soldiers were killed Saturday by a roadside car bomb in northern Sinai, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said in a statement, in an attack claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate.

Sixteen other soldiers were injured in the explosion in the provincial capital el-Arish, the ministry said. The car, parked on the side of the road, exploded when the soldiers’ vehicle was passing by, according to the statement.

The Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement circulated on Twitter by IS sympathizers.

The Egyptian government has been battling a long-running insurgency in northern Sinai, which escalated after the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests against his rule and cracked down on Islamic groups.

While the violence has largely been confined to Sinai, bombs have also hit other parts of the country, including Cairo.