EL-ARISH, Egypt, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Three Egyptian soldiers and a police officer were killed when a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint south of el-Arish in northern Sinai, officials said.
Four other people were injured in the bombing attack that occurred Thursday morning, Ahram Online reported.
The ongoing Sinai violence occurred hours after the United States announced it was cutting some military and economic aid to Egypt. The move was criticized by the Egyptian leadership.
Earlier this week in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, Egyptian military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said relations between Cairo and Washington are founded on mutual interests, but said Cairo will not tolerate pressure from Washington.
Wednesday night, four soldiers were injured when the bus they were riding in drove over a roadside bomb in the central Sinai region, the website said. There were also reports of a bomb exploding near military intelligence headquarters located in Rafah that borders the Gaza Strip.
Gunshots were fired at security forces near Rafah and at an armored personnel carrier near the town of el-Arish, the site said.
Since former President Mohamed Morsi's ouster on July 3, the army has stepped up operations in the Sinai against militants operating in the area. Dozens of alleged terror suspects have been arrested and weapons stockpiles revealed in the military operations that are ongoing.
