Four Egyptian soldiers killed by explosion in Sinai

Egyptian soldiers stand guard at a strategic site in Egypt's Sinai. (File photo)

Four Egyptian soldiers were killed in an explosion that hit their armored vehicle on Saturday in the northern Sinai Peninsula, where the government is battling a Daesh-led insurgency, security sources said.
The incident occurred about 20 km (12 miles) south of the Mediterranean town of al-Arish.
An insurgency in Egypt's rugged Sinai region has gained pace since the army toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, following mass protests against his rule in mid-2013.
The revolt, mounted by Daesh’s Egyptian branch, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police. Militants have also started to attack Western targets within the country.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former military chief who led Morsi's overthrow, describes militancy as an existential threat to Egypt, an ally of the United States.
On Thursday, 10 soldiers were killed in the Sinai Peninsula when their vehicles were hit by two improvised bombs during an operation in which 15 suspected militants were also killed, the army said. Two policemen were killed near al-Arish in a separate incident, the interior ministry said.