NORTH SINAI, Aug 4 (Aswat Masriya) - Security forces shelled an area in North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid town early Tuesday, killing eight suspected militants, military sources said.

Forces targeted three "cells" belonging to the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, sources told Aswat Masriya. Those targeted were planning attacks on security bases, to coincide with the launch of a new canal parallel to the Suez Canal, scheduled for Thursday.

Security forces launched a campaign on the town of al-Arish in North Sinai, in preparation for the canal launch. They arrested 23 "criminals and extremists" south of the town, security sources said.

Forces also dismantled six roadside bombs planted to target military vehicles in Sheikh Zuweid.

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

Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which changed its name to Sinai Province after pledging allegiance to Islamic State fighters last November, claims responsibility for the majority of the attacks in the peninsula.