Truck-bomb attack in Sinai kills 9 policemen, injures 10

At least nine Egyptian policemen were killed in a truck bomb attack against a checkpoint in the Sinai. No terrorist group claimed immediate responsibility. 

At least nine Egyptian policemen were killed and 10 other people, including three civilians, were injured Monday morning in a truck bomb attack at a checkpoint in the northern-Sinai city of El-Arish, according to security and medical officials.

The officials added that black-masked terrorists fired rocket-propelled grenades shortly after the attack, causing several smaller explosions. Other police officials said that they opened fire after the truck had exploded.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

The attack occurred amid Islamist insurgency in the Sinai against Egyptian forces, which followed the 2013 ousting of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, and has gained steam in recent months.

Terrorist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) have taken a predominant role in the area.  ISIS claimed in December that Israel had launched several aerial strikes against the terrorist group’s targets in the Sinai.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News