IS group claims Egypt's twin church blasts killing 38

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombings of two churches in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria that left at least 38 dead and over 100 wounded, the IS said on its so-called "Amaq" news website on Sunday.

The bomb attack earlier on Sunday on Mar Girgis Church of Tanta city in Gharbiya left at least 25 dead and 78 injured, while the following suicide bombing at Saint Mark's Church of Alexandria coastal city killed 13 and wounded 42, according to the Health Ministry.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismael reassured Pope Tawadros II of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church that the state continues to uproot terrorism that targets the country's national unity, while Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar held urgent meetings with security chiefs over dealing with the crisis.

Over the past few years, Egypt is struggling to combat a terrorist wave that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group as "a terrorist organization."

The terror attacks, mostly claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the IS, has recently been targeting Egypt's Christian minority and a previous church blast in Cairo in December 2016 left at least 28 worshippers dead, mostly women and children.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's "anti-terror war" declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's ouster. Endit