Roadside bomb kills seven soldiers in Sinai

EL-ARISH, Egypt — Seven Egyptian troops were killed and four more injured when a roadside bomb exploded  in the restive Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the explosion Sunday ripped through a military armored vehicle traveling south of el-Arish, the provincial capital of northern Sinai. The troops were heading to an area to comb it for suspected militant activities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Northern Sinai has been a haven for Islamic militants, who have waged regular attacks against troops and security forces.

Two policemen were killed in north Sinai on Friday after two terrorists fired at a minibus with a rocket-propelled grenade.

The country has descended into violence after Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected head of state and leader of the Freedom and Justice party, a political party rooted it the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown in a military coup in July last year.

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