Egyptian militant group denies swearing allegiance to IS

Egypt's Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group Tuesday refuted the news about it swearing allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.

"The statement circulated in the media and attributed to us about our swearing allegiance to IS chief does not belong to us and we hope that only our official sources are quoted," Xinhua reported citing a statement the group posted on their social media account.

The Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which is blacklisted by Egypt and the US as "a terrorist group", has claimed responsibility for most of the anti-government attacks that killed over 500 security men in Egypt.

In late October, the group claimed responsibility for a recent blast that killed some 30 Egyptian soldiers and injured tens of others in North Sinai.

The group's terrorist activities also extended from the Sinai Peninsula to the capital Cairo and other provinces across the country.

Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorism since the overthrow of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi by the military in July 2013. That and a following crackdown on his supporters has left about 1,000 killed and thousands more arrested.