Four Egyptian police wounded in attack claimed by IS

Four Egyptian policeman were wounded in an ambush Tuesday in the southwest of the country, a security source said, in an attack claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.

The attack took place in El-Wadi El-Gedid governorate (New Valley in English), a mostly arid region in the Western Desert bordering Libya, when gunmen ambushed a police checkpoint, the source said.

The police "responded to the armed attack" leading to an "exchange of fire" with the assailants who managed to flee, the source said, adding that four policemen were wounded.

IS's propaganda agency Amaq released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

It quoted a "security source" as saying IS "fighters" attacked the so-called Baghdad checkpoint on a road linking El-Wadi El-Gedid's capital Kharga to the city of Luxor further south, without giving further details.

Egypt has been the target of several jihadist attacks in recent years including from IS who are active in the restive Northern Sinai region.

The military launched a year ago an operation dubbed "Sinai 2018" in a bid to dislodge IS from the northeastern Sinai Peninsula and other parts of the country, including the Western Desert.

On Saturday the military said it had killed eight jihadists in air strikes in the Western Desert.