Roadside bomb kills six soldiers in Egypt's Sinai

CAIRO (Reuters) - Six Egyptian soldiers were killed by a remotely-detonated roadside bomb in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday, the army said in a statement. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded five soldiers. The bomb exploded as a patrol responsible for protecting a natural gas pipeline passed by, security sources said. The blast occurred southwest of provincial capital Al-Arish, where two policemen were killed when their patrol car was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade three days ago. Security forces face a jihadist insurgency that has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year after mass protests against his rule. Most attacks have been in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip. Security officials say Sinai-based militants are inspired by Islamic State, the al Qaeda offshoot that controls parts of Iraq and Syria and wants to redraw the map of the Middle East. A senior commander from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, Egypt's deadliest jihadist group, has told Reuters that Islamic State has advised it on how to operate more effectively. (Writing by Shadi Bushra; Editing by Michael Georgy)