Egypt officials: Militants kill soldier, policeman in Sinai

EL-ARISH, Egypt – Egyptian security officials say a soldier and a policeman have been killed in separate attacks by suspected Islamic militants in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula.

The officials say that along with the killed soldier, five others were wounded when their armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the border town of Rafah late on Sunday. The troops came under fire immediately after the bomb went off.

And in Sinai’s coastal city of el-Arish, a militant sniper killed a policeman on duty at a checkpoint. That attack also happened on Sunday night.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Islamic militants battling Egyptian security forces in Sinai are led by a local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group.