(Los Angeles Times) W.J. Hennigan - The Pentagon has shifted more than 100 U.S. soldiers from a desert camp near the Egypt-Israeli border in the Sinai Peninsula after a barrage of attacks by militants linked to Islamic State on Egyptian military outposts in northern Sinai. The U.S. troops, part of the peacekeeping force that helps maintain the 1979 treaty between Egypt and Israel, were transferred 300 miles south to a more secure area. "The Pentagon has valid concerns about troop safety," said Eric Trager, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "But the U.S. tinkering with its force numbers, even if slightly, can give the appearance that it is second-guessing the mission, which is worrisome for the Egyptian government and provides a propaganda tool" for Islamic State.
2016-04-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive