Sinai suicide bombing kills 6, wounds 17 in Egypt
A man is seen riding a motorbike through a wall that was destroyed by the Egyptian Army the day before in a village on the outskirt of the Northern Sinai town of Sheik Zuweid on Sept. 10, 2013.
Suicide bombers killed at least six people and wounded 17 more in simultaneous explosions at a military checkpoint and an intelligence facility in the city of Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, according to officials.
The strategically placed peninsula — which borders the Gaza Strip and Israel — has increasingly become the target of Islamist militant attacks since July, when Egypt's military ousted Mohamed Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president.
Military spokesman Ahmed Aly gave a statement on the twin blasts:
"Islamist terrorist elements carried out a treacherous attack using two cars loaded with a large quantity of explosives … that left six soldiers dead and 17 people injured," Aly said.
Another suicide car bomber struck the convoy of Mohammed Ibrahim, Egypt's interior minister, less than a week ago in eastern Cairo. Ibrahim escaped the attack unharmed. The Al Qaeda inspired group that claimed responsibility for the attack promised more attacks would follow.
The Egyptian military has sent troops into the Sinai to combat militants, though it doesn't appear the violence will stop anytime soon, as Egypt continues to struggle with massive economic and political instability.
Last week, nine Islamist militants were killed in a military offensive near Rafah and Sheikh Zuweyid.
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