Egypt policeman killed in Sinai attack: officials

Militants killed an Egyptian police officer on Friday when they attacked a checkpoint in Sinai with rocket-propelled grenades, security and medical officials said.

Militants killed an Egyptian police officer on Friday when they attacked a checkpoint in Sinai with rocket-propelled grenades, security and medical officials said.

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The attack, which targeted a police armoured vehicle at a checkpoint, also wounded a police conscript, the officials said. The officer killed was a lieutenant colonel, they added.

Militants, who have stepped up attacks in the restive peninsula since the military's overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi on July 3, also attacked a police station in the town of El-Arish, security officials said.

The northern part of the peninsula, bordering the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Israel, has become a haven for Islamist militants who have conducted frequent attacks on security forces and Israel over the past few years.