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U.S. Eyes Troop Drawdown in Egypt's Restive Sinai
(Wall Street Journal) Jared Malsin and Nancy A. Youssef - U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is leading a push to withdraw over 400 troops from the 13-country Multinational Force & Observers the U.S. heads in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where Egyptian security forces are battling Islamic State militants on Israel's doorstep. The 1,100-person force has two main bases in Sinai, a heavily fortified post in the north, where troops are largely confined to base due to the insurgency, and another in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. Defense officials said Esper feels the U.S. military effort in northern Sinai isn't the best use of department resources - or worth the risk to troops stationed there. Egypt and Israel have maintained a durable peace for four decades. U.S. officials say the push to remove troops from Sinai is opposed by Israel, which views the peacekeepers as an important check on Egyptian military activity, and the State Department, which regards the force as a symbol of American leadership in the region that helps solidify the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.