Updated

Police in the turbulent north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula say nine policemen have been wounded when their armored personnel carrier was hit by a roadside bomb planted by suspected Islamic State militants.

A statement by local police says Saturday's attack took place outside the border town of Rafah.

The attack is the latest in a war of attrition waged by militants led by the Islamic State's affiliate in Sinai, where security forces have battled insurgents for years. The insurgency by the militants in Sinai grew more intense after the 2013 ouster of elected president, Mohammed Morsi, who is an Islamist.

Also Saturday, police say the severed head of a man who had been abducted by suspected militants for his alleged cooperation with authorities turned up in Rafah.