CAIRO, Dec 17 (Aswat Masriya) -A conscript and a militant were killed in an exchange of fire in 6th of October City on Saturday, a source at the Giza security directorate said. 

The source told state-run MENA that security forces clashed with militants hiding in an apartment in 6th of October in Giza.

Militants have stepped up attacks targeting security forces in Egypt, since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule. 

On Sunday, a explosion at the church attached to one of Egypt’s most symbolic sites for Copts, St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral, killed 26 and injured dozens of worshippers. The attack was claimed by Islamic State.

The blast came only two days after seven people, including six security personnel, were killed in two separate explosions in Giza and Kafr al-Sheikh.