Egypt troops move into Israel border zone

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

AL-ARISH, Egypt | Thu Aug 9, 2012 10:26am EDT
(Reuters) - Gunman fired shots towards a police station in the main administrative centre of Egypt's North Sinai on Thursday, underscoring lawlessness in the desert region bordering Israel as a Egyptian military offensive there entered its second day.

Hundreds of troops in armored cars drove out of the town to hunt Islamist militants blamed for killing 16 Egyptian border guards on Sunday, the biggest spike in violence which has been growing steadily since last year's overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

The gunfire in al-Arish, the nerve centre of the government's otherwise shaky control of the North Sinai region, showed how difficult it will be for Egypt to impose order. It followed attacks on checkpoints in the town on Wednesday.

Israel has welcomed Egypt's offensive while continuing to express worries about the deteriorating situation in Sinai, home to anti-Israel militants, Bedouin tribes angered by neglect by Cairo, gun-runners, drug smugglers and al Qaeda sympathizers.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/09/us-egypt-attack-sinai-idUSBRE87707K20120809

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Future headlines about this:

"Drone kills # 2 head of anti-Israel militants,"
Just change the sentence to gun-runners, drug smugglers and al Qaeda sympathizers, as needed.

the minute Al Qaeda is mentioned in a troubled Mid East zone, US or US aided intervention has followed.

[maddezmom]

2. Israel OKs Egypt attack helicopters in Sinai

REUTERS08/09/2012 21:35
Approval necessary due to limits on weaponry in area dictated by Camp David accords; Barak requested to allow helicopters.

The security cabinet on Thursday approved a request from Defense Minister Ehud Barak to allow Egypt to deploy five attack helicopters in Sinai.

The approval was necessary because under the Camp David Accords there are strict limits on the type of weaponry that can be brought into the peninsula.

The approval came a day after the Egyptian army used air power against terrorists in the region.

Barak said Egypt was acting “to an extent and with a determination that I cannot previously recall.”

more:http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=280732