Egyptian army officer killed in Sinai roadside blast

CAIRO — An Egyptian army captain has been killed by an improvised explosive device blast in North Sinai during a campaign to eliminate terrorists, medics said on Monday.

The officer died Sunday evening after an explosion hit his vehicle west of the coastal city of El Arish, a local medical source said.

The Egyptian army has since February been conducting a major operation focused on the Sinai Peninsula to wipe out jihadists from the Daesh group.

The military says that over 250 suspected militants and at least 35 soldiers have been killed in its "Sinai 2018" operation.

Terrorists launched an insurgency in Sinai after the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was forced out by the military in the face of mass protests against his rule.