2nd LD-Writethru: Officer killed in terror attack on Egypt's Sinai airport

CAIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- An officer was killed and two others wounded in a terrorist attack on an airport in Arish city of North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, an Egyptian military spokesman said on Tuesday.

"A shelling attack targeted Arish airport, leaving an officer dead and two others wounded and causing partial damage of one of the helicopters," said the military spokesman Tamer al-Refaay in a statement.

The attack came during the visit of the defense and interior ministers to check on the security conditions in Arish city, according to the statement.

Terror attacks in Egypt killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers as well as dozens of the Coptic minority since the military toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 due to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Most of the attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based terrorist group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) regional group.

On Nov. 24, a terrorist attack against a mosque in a town of Arish city killed at least 310 Muslim worshippers and wounded over 120 others, marking the deadliest terror operation and the first against a Muslim mosque in Egypt's modern history. But no group has yet claimed responsibility for this one.

Following the mosque attack, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered the army's chief of staff to restore security and stability in the restive part of the Sinai Peninsula within three months.

Over the past few years, the Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested a similar number of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster. Enditem