Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai blast

Cairo, July 9 (Xinhua) An Egyptian military recruit was killed and four others were injured Wednesday when an explosive device targeted a military armoured vehicle on Rafah-Arish highway in north Sinai, a security source said.

"The explosive device was planted on the side of the highway and it went off when the armoured vehicle passed by," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, noting the 21-year-old victim and his injured companions have been transferred to a military hospital in Arish.

The operations of extremist militant groups mounted in the restive peninsula and other provinces across the country, including the capital Cairo, since the military ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year.

They launched many attacks targeting military and police personnel and premises over the past year, which killed dozens and injured hundreds.

The Sinai-based Al Qaida-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group claimed responsibility for most of them.