Bomb attack in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula kills two police officers

ARISH , Egypt, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A bomb attack in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula killed two police officers on Sunday, according to reports.

The blast targeted an armored vehicle in the town of Arish, killing an officer and a recruit, Xinhua news agency quoted Egypt's interior ministry.

The attack comes one day after a police officer was killed and three wounded in a gun attack on their vehicle as it traveled on the Fayoum-Cairo highway.

Militant attacks have been commonplace in the Sinai Peninsula since the 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi. More than 600 Egyptian soldiers and police officers have been killed in the region.

Last week, militants attempting to shell a security checkpoint missed and killed a family of five in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, where an Islamic State-affiliated group known as Sinai Province has been conducting sporadic attacks against a network of Egyptian military installations.

Last month, militants killed five soldiers during an attack on two checkpoints in the town, where earlier battles claimed the lives of more than 100 on both sides.

Other militant activity, including a missile attack on an Egyptian military vessel off the Mediterranean coast, have prompted Egyptian President Abel-Fatah al-Sisi to say his country is in a "real state of war."