Suspected militants bomb security bases in Egypt's Sinai
4:33 a.m. CST, November 25, 2012
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-egypt-sinaibre8ao02e-20121125,0,7420472.story

ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Militants bombed security bases being built in
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, injuring three people, authorities said, as the
state tries to reassert control over territory that slipped from its grip
after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

A massive explosion partly destroyed the wall of a security base being built
for border guards in the town of Rafah at the border with the Gaza Strip
overnight, but without causing injuries.

Further south, three workers were injured by a separate blast that damaged a
compound being built in Quseima for a different security agency responsible
for guarding a pipeline that exports gas to Jordan, security sources said.

Hardline Islamist militant groups have expanded into a vacuum left by the
collapse of state control in North Sinai during the uprising that overthrew
Mubarak in February, 2011.

The state launched a concerted effort to reestablish control following an
August 5 attack in which 16 border guards were killed. But a November 3 gun
attack in which three policemen died underlined the challenge still facing
the authorities.

(Reporting by Yousri Mohamed; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Roche)