Sinai desert is full of bombs and mines

More than a 100 land mines and nine bombs were discovered in the northern Sinai desert.

Photo: Sinai desert is full of bombs and mines

Sinai desert is full of bombs and mines

Authorities believe Islamic militants had buried the explosives, but no militants were in the vicinity when the police, acting on a tip, uncovered the cache, said the northern Sinai security official.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the land mines and bombs had been stashed in sacks buried a few meters (yards) in soil about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west of the Egyptian-Israeli border.

Islamic militants have carried out three major bomb attacks in the Sinai since October 2004. The blasts in the resorts of Sharm el-Sheik, Taba and Dahab killed 125 people. The government blamed the attacks on a local Islamic militant group, which appears to have been inspired by al-Qaida ideology.