Bomb blast kills high rank army officer in Al-Arish city of Egypt's restive North Sinai

A bomb went off in Al-Arish city of Egypt's restive North Sinai, killing a high-ranking Army officer and injuring three others, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The explosion took place late on Wednesday targeting a security patrol which was passing through Assiut street in Al-Arish city. While Colonel Yasser El-Hadidi was killed in the explosion, a conscript and a civilian sustained injuries.

Security forces rushed to the incident spot, cordoned and combed the area, the statement said. 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 MohamedMorsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against this 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.