Scores killed in battle for western Yemeni city

A police officer was killed and three other policemen were injured on Friday in a roadside blast in Egypt’s restive North Sinai, security official said.

The bomb targeted a police armoured vehicle killing a 25-year-old officer and injuring three policemen in Al-Arish city, the official said.

Killings of security personnel are frequent in North Sinai as the area has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January, 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who ruled for nearly three decades.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule.

Over 600 security personnel have been reported killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating building of tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.