CAIRO, (PNA/Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed and 17 others, including seven civilians, were injured in two car bomb attacks on security personnel in Rafah city in Egypt’s North Sinai, a security source told Xinhua on Wednesday.
One of the bombs targeted a military checkpoint, while the other exploded outside an intelligence facility, the source said, adding that a number of buildings in the area were damaged.
Among the nine dead, seven are soldiers and two scattered bodies belong to the suspects who launched the suicide bombings, the source said.
Armed Forces spokesman Ahmed Aly confirmed the attacks, saying “Islamist terrorist elements carried out a treacherous attack using two cars loaded with a large quantity of explosives.”
The attacks came a day after Sinai-based Islamist militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (supporters of Jerusalem) claimed responsibility for an attempt last week to assassinate Egypt’s interior minister in Cairo and promised more attacks in revenge for the Islamists killed during the security forces’ clashes with supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi after their sit-ins were dispersed a month ago.
The group called on all Muslims in Egypt to stay away from military and Interior Ministry installations to prevent from being hurt.
The security situation in Sinai has deteriorated since Morsi’s ouster in early July. Militants have been recently launching almost daily attacks against the security forces. The army, in turn, intensified operations to uproot terrorists and hardline Jihadist movements in the peninsula.