CAIRO, Sept 22 (Aswat Masriya) - Security forces killed Monday seven members of Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis south of North Sinai's city of Sheikh Zuweid.

The forces raided al-Nusraneya area of Sheikh Zuweid, where they clashed with the "extremists", army sources told Aswat Masriya, adding that they managed to kill seven of them who were in possession of firearms and hand grenades.

Militants in the Sinai have stepped up attacks on policemen and soldiers since the military's ouster of President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013, which followed mass protests against his rule.

Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in Cairo and Sinai, including an attempt on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim's life last September.

According to the government, nearly 500 people, mostly security personnel, were killed in armed attacks and bombings in the Sinai Peninsula and other cities.

The peninsula has witnessed its most stringent security crackdown in years since Mursi's ouster.