The offshoot of ISIS in Egypt has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a Cairo suburb near the pyramids at Giza, as the death toll from the explosion climbs to nine.
ISIS issued a statement on social media in its usual format claiming the attack. Security sources said that nine people have been killed by the makeshift bomb which exploded as police prepared to raid a militant bolthole.
Six policemen were among those killed as security services attempted to defuse an improvised device at the apartment just north of Cairo. Ten were wounded.
Over the past few years, militants have used the Sinai Peninsula as a safe haven to carry out deadly attacks mainly targeting Egyptian army and police forces.
Velayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for most of the assaults. The group pledged allegiance to Daesh in November 2014.
The Egyptian army has long been engaged in military operations against the militants in the volatile region, which has been under a state of emergency since October 2014.
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