Roundup: 26 killed in attacks on Egyptian security forces in Sinai

At least 26 security men were killed and 58 others wounded Thursday evening in mortar attacks against security forces in Arish in Egypt's North Sinai province, security officials and medical staff told Xinhua.

Fifteen civilians were also injured and were taken to nearby Arish Military Hospital, they said.

The attacks targeted several security premises in Arish city including the security department headquarters, a police station, officers' rest-houses and a military hotel.

The toll might increase as there were still bodies under the rubble, said officials.

Military spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a midnight statement that the attacks were launched by terrorists affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

"On Thursday evening, terrorist elements attacked some security premises belonging to the Armed Forces and security apparatuses in Arish using some car-bombs and mortar shells," Samir said.

Four other security men were killed and 11 were injured in simultaneous attacks on two security checkpoints at the nearby Rafah city, according to state-run Al-Ahram news website.

Following the attacks, Health Minister Adel al-Adawi ordered the activation of the ministry's crisis management mechanism.

The minister ordered sending extra ambulances to North Sinai and coordinated with the Armed Forces to prepare three air-ambulances to move those seriously injured from Arish to large hospitals in Cairo.

Also on Thursday evening, a police officer was killed in Suez as unknown assailants threw an explosive device at a road security police point, Al-Ahram reported.

Reports said a series of tweets from a Twitter account named Sinai Province claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Last year, Eygpt's most active militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis changed its name to Sinai Province after swearing allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).

Egypt has recently extended a curfew in many parts of North Sinai for another three months due to the unstable security conditions in the restive peninsula and the recurrent terrorist attacks targeting security men and premises.

Attacks on security forces mounted in Sinai and other parts of the country since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, in July 2013 and the following crackdown on his supporters that left about 1,000 killed and thousands more arrested.

The attacks targeting security forces have left hundreds killed. Most of the attacks were claimed by al-Qaida-inspired Sinai Province.

Since Morsi's removal by the military, his loyalists have been staging anti-government protests, denouncing Morsi's ouster as "a coup." The Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi's power base, was blacklisted by the new leadership as a terrorist organization.

On Sunday, at least 20 people were killed and dozens of others injured and arrested as anti-government protesters, mostly supporters of Morsi, marked the fourth anniversary of the revolution that toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak. Endi