Egyptian army officer killed in Sinai roadside blast

An Egyptian army captain has been killed by an improvised explosive device blast in North Sinai during a campaign to eliminate jihadists, medics said today.

The officer died yesterday 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 Islamic State group.

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

Jihadists 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.