CAIRO, Mar 20 (Aswat Masriya)- The number of Egyptian policemen killed in Saturday's attack on a North Sinai checkpoint rose from 13 to 15, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

A mortar shell had struck the Safa checkpoint on the ring road in the capital of North Sinai province al-Arish, the ministry said on Saturday night.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of former president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, after mass protests against his rule. Most attacks occur in North Sinai, targeting security forces.

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.