SHARQIYA, Aug 4 (Aswat Masriya) - Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a policeman standing guard outside a police station in Sharqiya on Tuesday, the governorate's security director said.

The policeman received gunshot wounds to the head and chest, said Sharqiya security director Khaled Yehia.

Security forces combed the area of the shooting, in search of the assailants. They also notified the prosecution to begin investigating the attack.

Bombings and shootings targeting security personnel have surged since the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule.