CAIRO, Jun 23 (Aswat Masriya) – A low-ranking police officer was killed and another was injured late Wednesday after anonymous gunmen fired shots near a police station in al-Arish, North Sinai, an interior ministry media official said.

Security forces are directing efforts to capture the perpetrators, the statement added.

Another policeman was killed on Sunday night in the town of Arish after anonymous militants shot him. Meanwhile, a policeman was killed and another injured earlier that day in a road-side bomb explosion in central Sinai, the interior ministry said.

North Sinai militants have stepped up attacks targeting security forces since the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

The Egyptian military says it has killed hundreds of "terrorists" in the context of the "Martyr’s Right" military operation according to its published statements.

The first stage of the operation was launched by security forces in response to an attack in October 2014 that killed 33 security personnel.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had declared a state of emergency in North Sinai following that attack, which has been claimed by the Islamic State-affiliate Sinai Province.

The group claims most of the attacks in the area.

The state of emergency imposed in a number of areas in Sinai has been renewed several times since.

The third stage of the "Marty's Right" operation is currently underway.

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