Raid erupts into gunfight as dozens of police officers killed in Egypt
It was among the largest losses of life for security forces since militants targeted troops after President Morsi was removed.
Sunday 22 October 2017 10:46, UK
At least 54 police officers have been killed after a raid on a suspected militant hideout led to a major firefight in Egypt.
It is one of the deadliest gun battles in the North African country for several years.
The violence erupted when security forces targeted insurgents near the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert, about 100 miles from the capital Cairo.
Following a lead, they were deployed to a militant camp where eight suspected members of the extremist Hasm Movement were believed to be hiding, said security sources.
Insurgents on higher ground then used rocket-propelled grenades and explosives to ambush a convoy of four 4x4s and an interior ministry vehicle, it was reported.
Police had to call in air support as the clashes continued for several hours and there were warnings the number of dead could rise.
It was one of the largest losses of life for security forces since the army removed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi from power in 2013.
After he was deposed, extremist groups launched increasing numbers of attacks on the military and police.
Egypt has struggled to contain an insurgency led by Islamic State-affiliated group, Ansar Bayt al Maqdis.
The uprising has centred mostly in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula, around 300 miles from the latest violence.
No militant group has yet claimed involvement in the Giza firefight.
The country has been under a state of emergency since scores of people were killed earlier this year in bombings and suicide attacks that targeted minority Coptic Christians.
Those atrocities were claimed by IS.