7 dead in attack on bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt

IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in 2017 and shot dead almost 30 Christians in Minya province

CAIRO: At least seven Coptic Christians were killed on Friday when gunmen opened fire on their bus in central Egypt, the province's bishop told AFP.
A security official confirmed the attack in Minya province, adding that there were "dead and wounded".

Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 per cent of Egypt's 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State group.



IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017 and a month later shot dead almost 30 Christians in Minya province as they headed to a monastery on a bus.

In December 2017 an IS killed nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.



In February 2018, the Egyptian army launched a major offensive against IS in the Sinai Peninsula, where the group has maintained a strong presence since the fall of president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Dubbed "Sinai 2018", the military campaign has killed more than 450 militants, according to the army.