Three policemen have been killed and five others wounded by some Unidentified gunmen who attacked an Egyptian police convoy near the main ring road around Cairo.

“Armed elements riding in two vehicles approached a moving security convoy” around 11:45 pm Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

The convoy was crossing a roundabout that intersects with the main ring road that surrounds the capital, separating New Cairo and newer real estate projects from the city.

Police returned fire at the attackers’ vehicles, which police were pursuing “in an effort to apprehend the perpetrators,” the ministry said.

While no one claimed responsibility for the attack, Egypt has been fighting an insurgency by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group in North Sinai province.