Egypt bus bombing kills three policemen, injures 33

CAIRO // Three Egyptian policement were killed on Monday when a bomb struck a bus they were on in the latest attack against security forces who are being targeted by extremists.

The attack occurred in the Nile Delta province of Baheira, 260 kilometres north of Cairo, while the men were travelling on a civilian bus to work.

“Three policemen were killed, including one who succumbed to his wounds in hospital,” health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said.

“Thirty-three policemen were also wounded. One of them remains in a critical condition.”

Extremists have killed scores of policemen and soldiers since an Islamist insurgency swelled in the wake of the 2013 overthrow of president Mohammed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president who took office after longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

The insurgency has been spearheaded by Egypt’s affiliate of ISIL which has launched regular attacks against security forces.

While mostly centred on the Sinai Peninsula, ISIL has in recent months carried out more attacks in the capital, including against foreign targets.

On Thursday, a car bomb attack claimed by ISIL tore through a Cairo police building injuring 29 people, including six policemen.

The group also claimed another bomb attack targeting the Italian consulate in downtown Cairo on July 11 which killed a passerby.

The extremists say their attacks are in retaliation for a police crackdown targeting Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.

With his security forces battling to contain the insurgency, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi last week ratified an anti-terrorism law boosting police and judicial powers.

It also imposes hefty fines for “false” media reports on militant attacks.

* Agence France-Presse