Security forces killed three suspected militants they accused of complicity in an explosion in North Sinai earlier on Thursday which left a soldier killed and another injured, the armed forces spokesman said.
Spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement that the suspected militants were killed in a chase which shortly followed the blast.
Unidentified assailants had planted an explosive device on a road south of Sheikh Zuweid earlier on Thursday when army personnel were passing, killing a soldier and injuring a conscript, security sources said.
Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, with the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, following mass protests against his rule. Most attacks target security forces in North Sinai.
Thirteen people were killed in two separate attacks in North Sinai on Sunday, including security personnel from the police and the military.
Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, Egypt's most active militant group, claimed responsibility for both attacks on a twitter account believed to belong to the group.
Ansar has claimed responsibility for most militant attacks carried out in the governorate since 2013. The group pledged allegiance to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria last November, renaming itself as the "Sinai Province".
Security forces killed over 300 suspected militants in security campaigns in North Sinai during the months of February and March, the armed forces spokesman announced in a number of separate statements.
