CAIRO, Jun 22 (Aswat Masriya) - Bombings of two houses in North Sinai's al-Arish city left 8 injured, including civilians, on Monday as a dozen suspected militants were killed in security forces' operations, source said. 

The houses that were attacked belonged to policemen, security sources said. Most militant attacks target security forces, although civilians are less frequently affected. 

Five civilians and three policemen were injured in the blasts. 

An eyewitness said two explosive devices detonated, leaving the injured with shrapnel wounds and scattered bruises. 

On Monday dawn, military operations killed 12 individuals suspected to belong to the militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, military sources said. They included nine who were killed in aerial bombardment by Apache helicopters. 

Ansar, Egypt's most active militant group, pledged allegiance to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria last November. 

The operations took place outside North Sinia's Rafah and Sheikh Zuwied cities. 

These security operations are part of an ongoing campaign that aims to curb militancy, which has significantly surged in Egypt since July 2013.