54 POLICEMEN KILLED IN MILITANT ATTACK IN EGYPT

CAIRO: At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout outside of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said Saturday.. ››

CAIRO: At least 54 policemen were killed when a raid on a militant hide out outside of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said on Saturday.

It was one of the largest losses of life for Egyptian security forces since militants began targeting government forces after the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The officials said the exchange of fire began late on Friday in the al-W a hat al-Bahri ya area in Giza governorate, 135 km from Cairo after security services moved in.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants.

Egypt’s interior ministry issued a statement on the raid late Friday but didn’ t provide a death toll. The police also deployed aircraft to confront the militants on Friday, officials said.

The clashes continued after nightfall, Egypt’s state TV reported on its official website. State-run MENA news agency also reported the attack but provided a lower death toll.

Those killed included two police brigadier-generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels.

No militant group immediately claimed involvement in the firefight. AP