Four militants were killed during a police raid in in the town of Kerdasa, on the outskirts of Cairo, state news agency MENA reported on Thursday.

In statements to MENA, a Giza security directorate source said that police forces killed the wanted “terrorists” while attempting to arrest them, adding that police opened fire after the militants initiated a shootout.

The source added that ammunition and several shell casings were found with the four men.

It is unclear what charges the men were wanted for by the prosecution, or with which group they were affiliated.

Kerdasa has been known to be a stronghold for supporters of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood and ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

Following the dispersal of pro-Morsi sit in camps in August 2013, 11 police officers were killed during an attack on the Kerdasa police station.

Attacks against security forces have become common in recent years but are mostly concentrated in North Sinai, where Egypt's army and police are battling an entrenched Islamist insurgency

Source: Ahram online