Armed militants shot dead eight Egyptian policemen in Cairo's southern district of Helwan Sunday, in an assault whose responsibility was claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants, according to the Interior Ministry.

Apparently, four assailants in a pickup truck intercepted the policemen in their minivan and opened fire with their automatic rifles against them, added the ministry.

The dead include a lieutenant and seven lower ranking policemen who were patrolling the area south of the capital, it added.

Attacks against security forces have escalated following the 2003 removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from power by the army in response to mass protest against his rule.

The IS circulated a statement on social media networks stating "The Helwan attack is part of our Abi Ali Al-Anbari campaign, and we claim responsibility for a series of bombings and other attacks in Iraq."

An IS Caliphate soldiers squad fired against the police van, later confiscating their weapons, the statement said.

"The statement said the attack was in retaliation for women imprisoned in Egyptian jails," it added.

This is not the first time Helwan was targeted. Militants killed a policeman standing guard outside a museum there in June 2015.

The eight bodies were transferred to Helwan's hospital morgue as security personnel still comb surrounding areas looking for militants who escaped the scene, the interior ministry added.

The IS's flag was hoisted upon the assailants' pickup truck, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the independent Youm7 news website.

Following the attacks, the hashtag "#Egyptianpolicemenarebrave" trended on twitter.

"May the Lord have mercy upon our martyrs killed by treacherous hands," "We will avenge our heroes' deaths," people tweeted.

The Al Azhar institute in Cairo, Sunni Islam's most prestigious learning center, condemned the attacks as "terrorist acts contradictory to the teachings of Islam."

Al Azhar expressed its support in a statement towards the efforts undertaken by Egypt's security forces towards eradicating terrorism.

Britain's ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, tweeted, "We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the policemen killed in Helwan."

He reaffirmed his country's support of Egypt during its fight against terrorism, "Together, we will beat terrorism."

Militants established parts of Sinai's restive Peninsula as an operations center, as other attacks targeted the Capitol and other cities, killing hundreds of police and army men.

Most frequently, militants often claim their attacks are in retaliation to a bloody police crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters, claiming police forces killed hundreds of protesters and incarcerated thousands.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdes, a Sinai-based IS affiliate, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

Source: XINHUA