Egypt police officer killed in Qulubiya

Egypt says a police officer has been killed when he was trying to detain militants wanted in connection with the recent killing of a security official in Cairo.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday that Captain Ahmed Samir was shot dead during an early morning raid in the province of Qulubiya.

The militants were believed to be involved in the shooting of Interior Ministry Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Mabruk on November 17 in the Cairo neighborhood of Nasr City.

Security sources said the gunmen managed to flee the scene before policemen cordoned off the area.

According to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, a forensic specialist said Samir had died from a bullet wound to his neck, adding that he was shot at a range of no more than five meters.

Mabruk was part of a unit from the interior ministry that closely tracks the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt has been experiencing deadly attacks on security forces on an almost daily basis since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

On November 20, at least eleven Egyptian soldiers were killed in a car bomb attack in northern Sinai Peninsula near the city of Al-Arish.

The Sinai Peninsula has long been considered a safe haven for militants and criminal gangs who use the region as a base for terror activities. Cairo has launched several offensives against the militants, sending thousands of troops backed by tanks and heavy equipment into the region to crush militancy.