Suicide Bombers Attack Peacekeepers in Egypt

Two suicide bombers launched attacks close to Egypt's border with Gaza today, just two days after 21 people were killed in three bombings in the Egyptian resort of Dahab.

The bombers succeeded in killing only themselves in the attacks, which appear to have been aimed at the multinational peacekeeping force charged with patrolling the Sinai peninsula since Israel pulled out of the region in 1982.

The Egyptian cabinet minister Magdy Rady said he thought the attacks could be related to Monday's Dahab bombings.

A militant group that has been blamed for several attacks in Sinai in recent years is believed to be based around the Sinai town of El Arish, where the second attack took place.

The first bomber targeted a car belonging to the multinational force close to the force's El Gorah headquarters, around three miles from the Egypt-Gaza border.

The car was carrying one Norwegian, a New Zealander and two Egyptian officials, none of whom was injured in the attack.

The second attack struck an Egyptian police car that had been dispatched from a police station in El Arish after reports of the first. An unconfirmed report suggested a bedouin man on a bicycle may have attempted to block the police car before blowing himself up. No one else was injured.

The attacks came as Egyptian officials said the body parts of three people killed in the Dahab bombings were still being examined to see whether they were those of suicide bombers. Police earlier suggested the bombs had been set off using timers.

An attack on the Palestinian side of the border at around the same time resulted in five injuries after militants attempted to ram a border crossing with a car carrying explosives.

Three Palestinian officers and two civilians were wounded after an exchange of fire between the militants driving the car and Palestinian security officials.

The incident happened at the Kami border crossing, which is the main goods crossing point between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Israel closed the border in response to the attempted car bombing.

Militants have normally ignored the multinational force, though two Canadian peacekeepers were injured in a bombing in El Gorah last August.

The force contains troops from 11 countries, and is funded jointly by Egypt, Israel and the US.

Its soldiers patrol areas of the Sinai peninsula that Israel invaded in 1973 to ensure that neither side attempts to build up its strength in the territory.