52 Egyptian police killed in gunfight with rebels

At least 52 police officers were killed and six wounded in a gunfight that erupted when government forces raided a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's western desert.

The gun battle took place on October 20 in an area of ​​​​Bahariya oasis in the western desert of Egypt, according to Reuters. The country's Interior Ministry said many suspected Islamist militants were shot dead.

It is a rare clash between government forces and insurgents outside the Sinai Peninsula, where unrest has been fueled by the activities of two main militant groups, including an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS), since 2013.

The area where the gunfight broke out. Photo: AFP.

Security sources said Egyptian authorities followed a guide to a hideout deep in the desert believed to be the hideout of eight suspected members of the Hasm group, which has claimed responsibility for several attacks on courts and police around Cairo since last year.

A convoy of four SUVs and an Interior Ministry vehicle was ambushed by militants from a high point. The gunmen used small-caliber anti-tank rocket launchers (RPGs) and detonated explosives, according to security sources in the Giza area.

The death toll is likely to continue to rise.

Egypt accuses Hasm of being the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, a charge the group denies. The Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition group, was declared illegal by Cairo in 2013.

Since the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, extremist groups have increased attacks on the military and police, according to AFP.

Egyptian tank crushes suicide car bomb, saves 50 livesOn July 20, an Egyptian army tank promptly detected and crushed a vehicle carrying 100 kg of explosives, preventing a suicide bombing in North Sinai province and saving dozens of lives.

According to Zing