Seven soldiers killed in Egypt blast

Seven soldiers were killed and four others injured Sunday in an explosion targeting their vehicle in Arish city in North Sinai, Egypt, security sources said.

The military armoured vehicle carrying the soldiers was blown up by an explosive device while they were on their way to comb the natural gas station in southern Arish city, the provincial capital of northern Sinai, security sources confirmed to Xinhua.

At least four explosions or attacks took place in several cities of Egypt during the past week as the Egyptian military forces carried out operations against extremist militants in Sinai.

On Friday, a leading member of the Al Qaeda-inspired Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group was arrested in a raid in North Sinai governorate.

The number of terrorist attacks has been growing since the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the army last July and the massive security crackdown on his supporters, which left about 1,000 of them killed and thousands more arrested.

Similar attacks first targeted security personnel and their premises in the restive Sinai Peninsula, and then were extended to the capital and provinces across the country. The Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

--Indo-Asian Newes Service

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