Violence in Egypt's Sinai Leaves At Least 14 Dead

A series of attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula Sunday left at least 14 dead and scores more injured, the Associated Press reported, citing Egyptian officials. The violence comes amid an escalating Islamist insurgency in the embattled northern region.

The deadliest attack occurred when a suspected car bomber blew up his vehicle outside a police station in the provincial capital of the northern Sinai, el-Arish. At least seven people were killed in the massive blast, including five policemen, the Interior Ministry said. Nearby homes were also damaged.

A roadside bomb earlier in the day tore through an armored vehicle in the town of Sheik Zuweid, south of el-Arish. The blast killed killed six soldiers, two of them officers, and left two more wounded, the army said in a statement.

Another attack at a military checkpoint left at least three soldiers injured, two of them officers.

Insurgent groups took responsibility for the violence on Twitter, and Egyptian officials called the roadside bombing the work of “terrorist and extremist elements.” Unrest has mounted in Sinai since popular protests led to the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. Subsequent violence has left hundreds of members of Egyptian security forces dead.

The rebel groups have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. The local affiliates refer to themselves as the group’s Sinai Province and are said to have established ties with militants in Libya.