Two Egyptian soldiers were killed today when a roadside bomb struck their armoured vehicle in North Sinai, a bastion of Islamist insurgency. Security sources told Reuters the attack took place near the village of Al-Kharouba on Tuesday when suspected militants remotely detonated a bomb as security forces were patrolling the area. Six other soldiers were also wounded in the explosion, the sources added. The northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, adjoining Israel and the Palestinian Gaza strip, has long been a haven of Islamist insurgency. However, militant violence, mainly based in the mountainous region, has increased since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Attacks and bombs by militants have killed hundreds in the past 18 months- mainly security forces in North Sinai- though smaller-scale bombings and shootings have become commonplace in the capital and other parts of the country. Source: Ahram Online
