NORTH SINAI, Jun 3 (Aswat Masriya) - A security conscript was gunned down and killed while on duty near the city of al-Arish in North Sinai on Wednesday, military sources said.

Clashes also erupted between armed men and security forces south of Rafah, leaving 12 suspected militants killed, sources said. Those killed are believed to belong to Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, Egypt's most active militant group.

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

The armed forces responded to the militancy with an intensified crackdown in the Sinai Peninsula.

Armed forces spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement on Tuesday that a total of 141 suspected militants have been killed in North Sinai in the month of May.