CAIRO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A number of Egyptian policemen were killed Friday in fire exchange with terrorists in Giza province near the capital Cairo, Egypt's interior ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said the police received information about a group of terrorists hiding in al-Wahat area in the desert of Giza, adding that a police force moved to attack the terrorists elements.

However, the statement said, terrorists started firing at the security forces as they approached their hideout, leaving a number of policemen dead and injured.

The statement added that a number of terrorists were also killed in the armed clash.

Police forces have been deployed to the area to track and capture the other terrorists, according to the statement.

The ministry's statement did not make mention of the number of causality from both sides.

However, state-run Ahram newspaper reported that some 14 policemen were killed in the attack, adding that clashes are still ongoing in the heart of the desert area.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.