Roadside bomb kills 2 soldiers, injuries 4 others in Sinai

EL-ARISH, Egypt – Egyptian security officials say a roadside bomb killed two soldiers and wounded four others in the restive northeastern region of the Sinai Peninsula.

The officials say the bomb struck an armored vehicle carrying soldiers to Sheikh Zuwaid near the city of el-Arish city on Saturday. The four soldiers, they said, are in a critical condition and the death toll could rise.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Egypt has battled Islamic extremists in Sinai for years, but the insurgency has grown deadlier and spread into the mainland since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. A local affiliate of the Islamic State group is the most active faction and it has claimed responsibility to the near-daily attacks there.