Dozens killed in attack on Egypt army post

An attack on an army checkpoint in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Friday killed at least 25 people, according to state media, making it one of the deadliest attacks on security forces since violence spiked following the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi last year.

Two senior military officials said a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint at Karm al-Qawadeis, located in the peninsula’s north. But a top military official contradicted those claims, saying the checkpoint was struck by a mortar round and rocket-propelled grenades, which hit a tank carrying explosives and ammunition, which caused a secondary explosion. A fourth official confirmed that account but said a suicide bomber also targeted the post.

The officials said the death toll is expected to rise because nearly 20 people were wounded and several were in critical condition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

"Most have been seriously injured and not all of them have been taken to [the] hospital yet," health ministry official Tareq Khater told Agence France-Presse.

Local media said that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi had ordered a meeting of the government defense council following the blast.

The attack is one of the deadliest since Sissi overthrew Morsi from the presidency and declared his Muslim Brotherhood movement a terrorist organization.

Rebel groups have been battling security forces in the Sinai for a decade, but violence spiked after the military overthrew Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests demanding his resignation. The attacks have also spread to other parts of Egypt, with militants targeting police in Cairo and the Nile Delta.

The government has blamed the violence on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group and launched a sweeping crackdown against his supporters, killing hundreds in street clashes and jailing some 20,000 people.

The Brotherhood officially renounced violence decades ago and has denied involvement in the recent attacks, saying it is committed to peaceful protests demanding Morsi's reinstatement.

Most of the major attacks have been claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in Sinai.

Al Jazeera and news services