CAIRO, Jan 13 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's interior ministry said on Friday that it killed 10 militants, behind attacks on two checkpoints in North Sinai earlier this week, in an exchange of fire.

The separate attacks on the checkpoints on Monday claimed the lives of eight policemen and a civilian.The ministry said then that five militants were killed at the time. 

The ministry said that the militants, who were affiliated with Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group, were behind other attacks targeting security personnel.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 and rebranded itself as Sinai Province.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of President Mohamed Mursi, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule. North Sinai has been the epicentre of insurgency.