3 Egyptian policemen killed, 4 wounded in attack in Suez Canal city
Security and medical sources say three policemen were killed and four others wounded in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia after two armed assailants opened fire at a checkpoint.
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Three Egyptian policemen killed in Suez Canal city
Three Egyptian policemen were killed and four others were wounded on Friday in an attack in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, security and medical sources said.
Two cars approached a checkpoint in a residential neighbourhood of the city, and two armed assailants opened fire at the policemen, according to the security source.
The policemen responded to the attack and managed to kill one of the assailants while the other escaped.
No party claimed responsibility for the attack, which was likely a "terrorist act", according to the source, which described it as the first of its kind in nearly three years in the country.
The casualty toll from the attack was confirmed by medical sources.
Attacks against security forces have been over the past years concentrated in the restive Sinai, where militants affiliated with the Islamic State group continue to operate.
On May 7, eleven soldiers were killed in an attack in western Sinai, which was followed by another attack days later, killing five soldiers and seven others in an attack against the army.
Egypt has been battling the insurgency that intensified after the army ousted the late Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.
Ismailia is one of the key cities that overlook the Suez Canal, a vital waterway between Asia and Europe that enjoys about 10 percent of the maritime trade in the world.
The canal is a significant source of foreign currency for Egypt, which is struggling with a falling currency and rising inflation.
