( CNN ) -- Gunmen killed two Egyptian military personnel and injured a third when security forces raided a militant hideout on Wednesday , the Interior Ministry said . Two army explosives experts , a general and a colonel , and five members of the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis were killed in the shootout in Qalyubia province , north of Cairo , the ministry said in a statement posted on its website . Four other members of the group , one of Egypt 's most active militant organizations , were wounded , as was a special forces officer . Intelligence had indicated the group was using a wood manufacturing workshop as a base and to store weapons and ammunition , the Interior Ministry said . The clashes lasted several hours , the statement added . Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis , which the United States has designated a terrorist group , has been blamed for attacks in Egypt 's Sinai Peninsula as well as on a security forces headquarters in the town of Mansoura last year . It claimed responsibility in January for four blasts that killed at least six people in and around Cairo . Islamist militants are expanding their insurgency in Egypt , where army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is expected to announce he will run for president . El-Sisi played a key role in the military overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsy last July . Militants based in the Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border have stepped up attacks on soldiers and policemen since Morsy 's ouster , which came amid widespread protests against his rule . Morsy and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders were rounded up soon after . CNN 's Marie-Louise Gumuchian contributed to this report .
Police , soldiers raid militant hideout north of Egypt . five army explosives experts and five militants killed in shootout , Interior Ministry says . Morsy militants expanding their insurgency in Cairo . Attacks on security forces have increased since Islamist ouster .