UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned a deadly terrorist attack against police officers in Cairo, a UN spokesman said.

The secretary-general conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Egypt, Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"The United Nations stands firmly with the people of Egypt in their fight against terrorism," he said.

Unidentified gunmen attacked a police minibus when it passed through the Helwan district in south Cairo early on Sunday, killing eight plainclothes officers in an ambush that was later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

It was the deadliest attack on the Egyptian security forces in the capital in months, reports said.

Source: XINHUA