A raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo resulted in death of at least 54 Egyptian policemen after the operation escalated into a firefight, local authorities said on Saturday.
Some 20 officers and 34 conscripts died in the attack which has become one of the deadliest incidents involving Egyptian security forces in recent years.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said, however, that the raid that took place late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province caused death of 16 policemen, while 15 militants were either killed or injured.
The U.S. Department of State issued a statement condemning the attack.
“The United States stands with Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism,” it added.