2 policemen killed in roadside bomb attack in Arish

Unidentified assailants had detonated the bomb while an Egyptian army vehicle was passing near Arish police station, leaving police officer Karim Refaat Mohamed and conscript Walid Mokhtar Ahmed dead, said the source.

 

There has been no claim of responsibility thus far for the attack.

 

Meanwhile, North Sinai security directorate announced in a statement Saturday that a total of 41 fugitives have been arrested. The convicts are facing charges of drug trafficking.

 

Several roadside bombs have detonated targeting passing armored vehicles amid a series of attacks that resulted in hundreds of deaths among the armed forces and police personnel in the restive North Sinai where the Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has taken a footing.

 

On May 15, a police conscript was killed and four others were injured in North Sinai after a roadside bomb detonated as their armored personnel carrier was passing by, Youm7 reported.

 

Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in militancy since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. According to the Interior Ministry, militant attacks have killed more than 500 security personnel since then.