Cairo: An Egyptian army officer was killed and three others were injured when militants targeted a security patrol in the country’s restive North Sinai province, officials said on Thursday.
The explosion took place on Wednesday when the security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city was targeted by militants.
While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Security forces rushed to the incident spot and the areas was cordoned off, it said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Egypt’s North Sinai has witnessed several terror attacks after the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohammad Mursi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.
The military has launched security campaigns in the area, in which some terrorists are based. The security forces have arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.
