At least five Egyptian policemen were killed on Sunday after terrorists opened fire on their vehicle in the central Sinai Peninsula, security officials said.

Gunmen stopped the police vehicle, attacked the officers and then fled the scene.

Takfiris in Egypt have killed hundreds of soldiers and police since the military overthrew of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

They pledged allegiance to Takfiri ISIL group more than a year later, and their attacks have persisted despite a sweeping military campaign in the peninsula which borders the Palestinian occupied territories and Gaza strip.

The extremist militants claimed the bombing last year of a Russian airliner carrying tourists home from a Sinai resort. All 224 people on board were killed.

Source: Agencies