(Times of Israel) Avi Issacharoff - Egypt has begun the second stage of creating a buffer zone between Sinai and Gaza. The current zone is being expanded from 500 meters to a kilometer. However, there will be additional stages which will ultimately expand the zone to 1.5-2 km. The plan will result in the eviction of hundreds of families, initially to El-Arish and in the future to a new Rafah and a new suburb of Ismailiya on the banks of the Suez Canal. These buffer zones are meant to help the Egyptian military in its fight against the fundamentalist Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, which has recently joined the Islamic State. 16-17 Egyptian battalions are operating in Sinai, including commando, armored, and infantry units. Egypt estimates that its operations have forced dozens of jihadis to flee Sinai for Libya.
2015-01-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive