Two officers dead, three injured in latest Arish bombing

Two police officers died and three conscripts were injured when a bomb hit a security patrol in the North Sinai city of Arish. The bomb was planted near an armored vehicle passing through Arish’s Masaeed district.

Security officials in the city declared a state of high alert and security forces closed all of the city's exits. Arish is currently under a 7 pm to 6 am daily curfew.

According to a statement published on the Interior Ministry's official Facebook page Thursday, the explosion hit a police patrol on Wednesday evening, killing lieutenants Mohamed al-Sayed, Abdel Azim Ahmed and Momen Adel Abdel Magid.   

Last Thursday, militants attacked security checkpoints in Arish and Sheikh Zuwayed, also in North Sinai, claiming the lives of at least 17 people. The Province of Sinai, previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis until the group affiliated itself with the Islamic State, later claimed responsibility for the attack.

More than 20 militants armed with RPGs and other weaponry launched the assault.  Two of the checkpoints attacked were recently built on the Arish-Rafah International Road in an attempt to tighten the state’s wavering grip on security in some areas of North Sinai.

Similar attacks have become more frequent in recent months despite heightened security measures and a curfew imposed on North Sinai since last October.

In January, at least 29 people were killed in a series of attacks targeting military checkpoints after curfew during an important football game. Thirteen civilians were among the dead.