CAIRO: An army officer was killed and three soldiers were injured in restive Sinai Peninsula Wednesday morning after a roadside bomb exploded beside their armored vehicle, security source told Youm7 reported.
The bomb was planted in a route used by military patrols in North Sinai’s town of Arish, the source, adding that following the explosion, security forces have cordoned the area in search for other potential bombs.
The explosion is the latest in a series of militant attacks targeting security forces.
Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in militancy since the military-backed ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. According to the Interior Ministry, militant attacks have killed more than 500 security personnel since then.
The Egyptian army has created a one-kilometer-wide and 14-kilometer-long buffer zone on the eastern border of North Sinai as part of its fight against militants in the area.