CAIRO, Nov 5: A huge explosion went off next to the North Sinai Governorate headquarters in Al Arish city when unknown militants fired two mortar shells targeting a security point near the building.
The two mortar shells landed in the vicinity of the governorate headquarters. No injuries were reported, according to the state news agency MENA yesterday.
The police and army personnel are searching the area for other explosives.
North Sinai has been the scene of many violent attacks by Islamist militants since the January 2011 revolution. The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi last year. Over 500 policemen and soldiers, have been reportedly killed in the attacks.
Last week, Egypt declared a three-month of state of emergency in parts of North Sinai and a curfew following a deadly attack that killed 31 soldiers.
The explosion cause by the two mortar shells came days after residents of Rafah on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip have begun evacuating their homes after an official decision to form a buffer zone. (PTI)
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