CAIRO, Oct 21 (Aswat Masriya) - Two policemen were killed and one was injured in  an explosion in North Sinai, the interior ministry on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said that unidentified assailants planted a roadside bomb in the area of a police station in  the town of Arish.

The explosion took place as a vehicle passed by the planted explosive device.

Last week, 12 security personnel and 15 militants were killed after armed militants attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of former president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule. North Sinai has been at the epicenter of this insurgency. .

The military in conjunction with the police forces have embarked on several security campaigns in North Sinai aimed to fight militants.

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