Gunmen kill 7 Coptic Christians in Egypt

At least seven Coptic Christians were killed yesterday when gunmen opened fire on their bus in central Egypt, the province's bishop told AFP.

The incident took place when the vehicle was heading towards the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery near Minya, a city about 270km south of the capital, Cairo.

The archbishop of Minya told Reuters news agency that at least seven people were killed and 14 wounded in the attack.

Church spokesperson Bouls Halim told The Associated Press news agency the death toll was likely to rise.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed to push ahead with a campaign to crush militants after the gun attack and offered condolences for the victims.

"I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators," Sisi said on his official Twitter account.

In May 2017, at least 28 people were killed and dozens more wounded when attackers opened fire on a vehicle carrying Coptic Christians to the complex. The IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

IS has repeatedly targeted Copts, a Christian minority that make up about 10 percent of Egypt's estimated 99 million people, in recent years.

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