Islamic State jihadists ambushed a police convoy, killing 18 officers and wounding seven others in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Monday.
Islamic State terrorists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeting armoured vehicles of a security patrol in Arish city in North Sinai that later devolved into a gunfight between the security forces and the terrorist elements, local media reported on Monday.
Four armoured vehicles were destroyed due to roadside bombs and a fifth one carrying signal jamming equipment.
ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief statement carried by its Aamaq website.
Meanwhile, local media reported that a number of terrorists were killed in fire exchange after the blast.
Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
A day earlier, nine suspected terrorists were killed in a shootout in Egypt's third largest city Giza, home to the legendary Great Pyramids and the Sphinx.
The police cordoned off several streets in the area and launched the counter-terrorism operation. The security forces broke into an apartment in one of the neighborhood's residence buildings, where the suspects were hiding.
Five police officers were injured in the shootout that took place in the neighbourhood of Agouza, Giza governorate, during a raid on two suspected terrorist hideouts, Sputnik reported.
One of the suspects reportedly attempted to detonate a suicide belt but was killed by the police. Police found huge amount of weapons and ammunition from the two terror hideouts.
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