At least six policemen were killed in the Eyptian capital Cairo on Friday after a bomb targetting security forces went off, the interior ministry said.
Reports state that the attack occurred in the western Talibiya neighbourhood of Cairo soon before the Friday prayers. There were no civilian casualties as the road was mostly empty at the time.
The police cordoned off the area shortly after the blast as they searched for more possible explosives around. The interior ministry in a statement said that the blast occurred near a checkpoint and claimed the lives of two officers, one low-ranking policeman and three conscripts. Three other conscripts were also wounded in the attack.
No terrorist organisation has claimed the attack yet.
Policemen and soldiers in the country have frequently faced deadly attacks ever since the army overthrew the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and cracked down on his followers.
Reports state that most of these attacks are conducted in the Sinai Peninsula by a branch of the Islamic State (ISIS). Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in these attacks over the years.
Two militant groups known as al-Thawra and the Hassam Movement have claimed most of the attacks in Cairo in the recent months. According to the police, these groups are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement which was banned months after Morsi was overthrown by the army.
The group was also listed as a terrorist organisation in the country but it denies any involvement in the ongoing violence on security officials in the capital.
