3 killed, 7 injured in roadside bombing near Arish

A bomb attack targeting a security vehicle killed three policemen and injured seven others in North Sinai on Friday morning, the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

Three roadside explosive devices were detonated on the Arish International Road as the vehicle passed. Two policemen were killed in the explosion, while the third died after arriving at the Arish Military Hospital along with the other injured men.

The blast also damaged a wall surrounding a nearby youth center, causing it to partially collapse.

A number of armed militant groups based in the peninsula have waged intermittent attacks against police personnel and the Armed Forces for several years. However, after the military removed former President Mohamed Morsi from power last year, the number of attacks rose dramatically and began spilling over into mainland Egypt.

Last month, six policemen were also killed and another two were wounded when a roadside bomb targeting their vehicle was detonated near the town of Rafah.

This week has also seen a string of dangerous explosions in crowded urban areas across Egypt. On Thursday, two homemade bombs exploded, injuring 11 people at Al-Sayed Al-Badawy Mosque in Tanta as thousands gathered to observe the last night of annual birthday celebrations for the mosque’s namesake — the most popular, widely attended moulid in Egypt. 

On Tuesday, another car bomb detonated on Ramses Street, near the Gamal Abdel Nasser metro station in front of the Supreme Court, injuring at least 15 people.