1st LD-Writethru: Policeman killed in explosion in Egypt's Alexandria

CAIRO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian policeman was killed Saturday in Alexandria province in a bomb blast that targeted the region's security chief, according to Egyptian interior ministry.

The bomb, which was planted under a car, went off when the car of Alexandria's security commander passed by, the ministry said.

Four others were also injured in the explosion in Alexandria, which located 200 km north of the capital Cairo.

Investigation teams rushed to the scene to inspect the site of the blast, the ministry said.

Egypt has been suffering a wave of terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Attacks had been centered in restive North Sinai province bordering the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Israel before they later expanded to reach other provinces including the capital Cairo.

The Sinai-based branch of the Islamic State regional terrorist group claimed responsibility for most of the terror operations in Egypt over the past few years.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war. Enditem