Statement: 4 army personnel killed in Bahariya Oasis, Egypt

The army destroyed two vehicles of terrorists in El-Wahat el-Bahariya, an oasis in the western desert of Egypt, approximately 370 km from Cairo.

The army forces were combing the area when an explosive belt belonging to one of the terrorists exploded, killing three officers and a conscript, Army Spokesperson Tamer el- Refae said in his statement.

Egypt has witnessed many terrorist attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, following massive protests against his rule.

Abdel Rehim Ali, member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, mourned the "martyrs of the duty", who were taken by treachery, while performing their national duties.

"We see that our brothers martyred while they were fasting (the holy month of Ramadan) and doing their duty to protect Egypt, " Ali, founder and Chairperson of Al-Bawaba News Portal, said in a statement. 

"They are: Colonel Khaled Al-Sheikh, Colonel Murad Fathi, Captain Imad Mahmud and soldier Mahmoud Nur al-Din," He posted on his official Facebook page.

Earlier today, Egypt's Third Army arrested two, at the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel connecting Sinai to mainland, in a vehicle with large quantities of improvised explosive device (IED) making material.

Egyptian security forces have been battling terrorist of the 'Islamic State' group, which has killed hundreds from the military and police.

The insurgency was until recently concentrated in the remote Sinai Peninsula, but militants have extended their campaign to other parts of Egypt.