SOME MOBILE DEVICES
Free Headline Alerts     
Worldwide Web WorldTribune.com

  breaking... 


Friday, August 26, 2011     INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

U.S. peace-keeping troops in Sinai to get enhanced combat training

CAIRO — The U.S. military has ordered an increase in combat training for peace-keeping troops in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

ShareThis

Officials said the U.S. military contingent in the Multinational Force has been ordered to enhance training amid the revolt in Sinai. They said the nearly 900 American soldiers were being instructed in force and facility protection amid Al Qaida-aligned attacks in Egypt.

"We have probably added more combat drills," U.S. Army Col. Eric Evans said. "We're doing more stuff with weapons and movements. We added a little more intensity."

Secret Gum Disease & Bad Breath Cure, 100% Guaranteed!


Also In This Edition

The United States plays a leading role in the MFO mission. Over the last decade, the U.S. contingent was comprised of members of the National Guard, who serve for one-year terms.

Officials said the peace-keeping troops were trained at bases in the United States before leaving for Sinai. The next rotation of forces was scheduled for September 2011 and would include officers from the Missouri National Guard.

MFO, under the current command of New Zealand, contains more than 2,000 soldiers from 12 nations. The force, established to monitor the military portions of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty conducts air and ground patrols. Despite rising unrest in Sinai, no attacks have been reported on MFO in 2011. Officials acknowledged that MFO has reduced ground patrols in wake of Islamic attacks in eastern Sinai several years ago.

For his part, Evans said the U.S. military would base restrictions on its MFO contingent in proportion to the threat level in Sinai. He said the threat level would also determine whether U.S. soldiers could travel through Sinai to either mainland Egypt or Israel.

"Depending on what the threat level is we're allowed to go to some [locations]," Evans said. "If we can't, they shut those down and we have to stay put."



About Us     l    Privacy     l    Geostrategy-Direct.com     l    East-Asia-Intel.com
Copyright © 2011    East West Services, Inc.    All rights reserved.