CAIRO, Apr 21 (Aswat Masriya) - Separate military raids in North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah cities in the early hours of Tuesday left eight suspected militants dead, military sources said.

In one incident, security forces clashed with suspected militants during a raid, killing four and arresting nine suspects, the sources told Aswat Masriya. The other four were killed during a combing operation. 

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, with most attacks targeting security forces in North Sinai. One blast which targeted an armoured vehicle in Rafah early on Monday left three security personnel dead. 

Amid an intensified campaign to counter insurgency, the army said, it killed over 300 suspected militants in security campaigns in North Sinai during the months of February and March, in a number of separate statements.

Most recently, the army spokesman announced on Monday that Egypt's armed forces killed 57 suspected militants in raids it conducted in North Sinai during the past 10 days.