Eight Egyptian policemen in militant attack on checkpoint

At least eight Egyptian police officers were killed by gunmen on Monday night, in an attack on a checkpoint in el-Wadi el-Gedid province in south-west Egypt, the interior ministry confirmed.

Three other security personnel were injured in the attack before security forces fought back and killed two of the attackers, the ministry said in a statement.

The attack took place on al-Naqab checkpoint, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from el-Kharga city, the capital of the province.

Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed by militants since the military overthrow of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which was followed by a bloody crackdown on his supporters.

Most of the attacks have taken place in the north of the Sinai Peninsula - which borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip - but attacks have occurred in other parts of the country, including the capital Cairo.

Last week, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a car bomb assault on a police checkpoint in the Sinai that killed eight people.

The group also said it conducted a suicide bombing that killed 28 Christian Copts at a church service in Cairo on 11 December.