Roadside bomb kills 4 soldiers in Egypt’s Sinai

SINAI, Egypt

Four soldiers were killed by a bomb blast on Monday in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, according to a local security source.

A military vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a security swoop in North Sinai’s city of Sheikh Zuweid, killing four soldiers, the source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Monday’s attack came one day after 25 churchgoers were killed when a bomber blew himself up inside a church in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president -- was ousted in a military coup, the Sinai Peninsula has been roiled by insurgency, which left hundreds of Egyptian security personnel dead.

The Egyptian security forces, meanwhile, continue to wage a fierce campaign -- involving elements from both the police and the army -- against what they describe as Sinai-based "terrorist groups".

Egypt’s army-backed authorities say they are battling the Welayat Sinai (Province of Sinai) group, which is said to have links to the Daesh terrorist organization.

Reporting by Khaled al-Jayoushi; Writing by Mohamed Sabry Emam Muhammed;