CAIRO, May 29 (Aswat Masriya) - Two policemen were killed and three others injured in an explosion in North Sinai on Sunday, Egypt’s interior ministry said.

In a statement on its official page, the ministry said that unidentified assailants planted a roadside bomb which went off as security personnel were passing by. 

The ministry added that the area was combed following the explosion.

Security forces have been engaged in a "war against terrorism" as militancy surged significantly in North Sinai since the military's ouster of former President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule.

Similar explosions have taken place over the course of the past three years killing dozens of security personnel.

According to separate statements by the armed forces over the past year alone, hundreds of suspected militants have been killed and hundreds more arrested in multiple security campaigns launched by the army.

Aswat Masriya, however, could not independently verify the content of these statements. Anti-terrorism legislation imposes heavy fines on news organisations that contradict official statements.