Egypt strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in northwestern Tunisia that left at least nine security men dead, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"Egypt stands by Tunisia in facing the phenomenon of terrorism as well as all forms of violence and extremism," said the Egyptian statement, referring to the attack as "a brutal terrorist aggression."

The attack was launched earlier on Sunday by "a group of terrorists" on a border security station in Tunisia's northwestern Jendouba province, according to the Tunisian Interior Ministry.

The attackers set an ambush for a National Guard patrol and opened fire at the present security men, killing at least nine of them.

Egypt called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting terrorism and eliminating the funding sources that provide shelter and training for terror groups.

Egypt has been facing a wave of terrorism that killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians over the past few years, with most of the attacks claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi declared an anti-terror war in the country after former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was removed in July 2013 after a 12-month reign.

Xinhua