US to send 75 more peacekeepers to the Sinai

Washington is sending 75 extra troops to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to increase the safety of US forces there following a roadside bomb attack last week, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The bombing injured six international peacekeepers, including four Americans, who are in the region as part of a force that monitors a 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the deployment had been planned before the attack.

"This is not a response to what happened with that IED (improvised explosive device) attack a few days ago," Cook said. 

"We've been in discussions with key stakeholders regarding plans to increase force protection since early August."

Cook said that in addition to the troops, the Pentagon is sending medical equipment including surgical teams.

Other international members of the multinational force and observers who have troops in the Sinai include Uruguay, Canada and Colombia. 

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

The officials said Islamic State militants had placed bombs there aimed at passing Egyptian troops. The restive Sinai Peninsula has seen an uptick in violence since the 2013 overthrow of former president Mohamed Morsi. 

The army has launched a widespread crackdown, earlier this week saying it had killed more than 50 militants, although previous security sweeps have thus far failed to subdue the violence.