4 Americans among 6 peacekeepers wounded in Egypt bombings

The peacekeepers were part of a force that monitors a 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel

CAIRO: Six international peacekeepers, including four Americans, were wounded Thursday in two roadside bombings in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula where Islamic State (IS) group militants are active, Egyptian and US security officials said.

The peacekeepers, part of a force that monitors a 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, are based in the north of the peninsula, where IS militants have killed scores of soldiers in attacks.

"We are aware that four US and two Multinational Force and Observer (MFO) peacekeepers were injured today (Thursday) in two IED explosions in northeast Sinai," US Defence Department spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.

"The MFO evacuated the soldiers by air to a medical facility where all are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries."

There was no immediate word on the nationalities of the other two peacekeepers. Twelve countries contribute troops to the mission, including Australia, Britain and Canada, as well as the United States.

Egyptian security officials said the peacekeepers were hit by a roadside bomb planted on a road leading from their base.

The officials said IS militants had placed bombs there aimed at passing Egyptian troops.

Egypt has been struggling to quell insurgency in the peninsula since the military overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Davis said the United States was "committed to taking the necessary steps" to protect its forces and "supporting the treaty of peace between Israel and Egypt."