A convoy of Egyptian armoured vehicles heads along a road in El-Arish on the Sinai Peninsula on August 13, 2011. AFP Militants have attacked a checkpoint in Egypt's volatile Sinai Peninsula, killing five policemen.

The Interior Ministry's media office says the attack took place at midnight on Wednesday in the city of el-Arish and that three policemen were also wounded. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt has been hit with a wave of suicide bombings and militants' attacks that only intensified after the military's ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

The last major incident took place in December, when suicide bombers struck a hotel in Sinai housing judges tasked to monitor elections. Two judges were killed in that attack.