Unknown militants have detonated a gas pipeline north of the restive Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
The attack, which was carried out during the early hours of Tuesday in the city of al Arish, caused no injuries.
The explosion comes hours after three Egyptian soldiers were killed and several others injured when gunmen attacked a security checkpoint near al Azhar University in the capital, Cairo. The attack was carried out near the university’s dormitory in Nasr City on Monday night.
In recent months, militants have repeatedly targeted pipelines in the region.
On February 11, militants detonated a section of a pipeline that transports gas to an industrial area of the Sinai. On January 27, militants blew up a part of a pipeline in an area called Muqtadiba, south of al Arish. A similar incident took place on January 17 with militants detonating the pipeline that carries gas to Sinai’s industrial zone.
In recent months, the remote desert region has also been the scene of growing violence and militant attacks on Egyptian security forces.
Militant groups have launched almost daily attacks in the volatile region since the ouster of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in July last year.
In response, Cairo has launched several offensives against the militants, sending thousands of troops backed by tanks and heavy equipment into the region to crush militancy.
