Armed forces killed three militants during an exchange of fire with "terrorists" in North Sinai's Rafah on Saturday evening, state-run news agency MENA reported. The armed forces returned fire when militants attacked a checkpoint using mortar shells and RPG, according to MENA. Aswat Masriya quoted a military source saying that six military personnel were injured. The armed forces are expected to issue a statement later on Sunday with details of the incident. The attack comes two days after the large scale attack in North Sinai Thursday evening that left at least 30 security personnel dead and was claimed on the same day by ‘State of Sinai', formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. The group attacked a number of security facilities in Al-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, claiming to have killed hundreds, while the government refuses to release final numbers of the death toll. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi commented on the incident by saying: "The attacks were not the first and will not be the last." Insurgent activities have been on the rise in North Sinai since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The 29 January attack is the largest attack in North Sinai since. On 24 October another large scale attack took place in North Sinai, when militants targeted a checkpoint, leaving at least 30 dead.
