CAIRO: An additional 75 U.S. troops will be sent to Sinai to enhance the protection of the peacekeeping forces in Egypt’s peninsula; a decision that was eyed in recent month due to militancy in the area.
Pentagon spokesperson Peter cook said Thursday that the international peacekeepers will be deployed with additional equipments and vehicles, adding “our concern right now, our top priority, is the safety and security of those U.S. personnel there.”
Six soldiers, including four Americans, were injured Sept., 3 in two roadside bomb blasts northeast Sinai.
On Aug. 18, officials told AP that the U.S. was considering withdrawing its officers from the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Egypt or enhancing their armed protection. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the MFO, with its Task Force Sinai (TFS) comprising 692 military personnel as of 2014.