Egypt Military signs-up to do Israel’s ‘drity work’ in Sinai

Clashes continue in Egypt’s Sinai
9 August, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Egyptian police and gunmen traded fire in the Sinai town of El-Arish on Thursday as security forces pressed an unprecedented campaign to quell Islamist militants, state television reported.

The state-owned Nile News television reported that the clashes were taking place outside a police station in the north Sinai town, a day after reported airstrikes killed 20 militants in a neighboring village.

The fighting comes a day after the Egyptian army declared success in the campaign against militants in Sinai.

“Elements from the armed forces and interior ministry supported by the air force began a plan to restore security by pursuing and targeting armed terrorist elements in Sinai, and it has accomplished this task with complete success,” the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement also added that the military would continue its campaign, without elaborating.

The clashes come after a militant attack on Sunday killed 16 Egyptian soldiers in an attempt to infiltrate Israel.

The soldiers were killed when the militants raided a border guard base under the cover of mortar fire, and commandeered a military vehicle into Israel before they were stopped by an Israeli helicopter strike.

Israel stepped up pressure on Egypt’s government to get a grip on lawlessness near the border, despite Egypt requiring Israeli permission to send forces to the Sinai region.

A 1979 peace treaty between the two states prohibits Egypt from deploying a large military presence in the Sinai, restricting Cairo’s ability to deal with rogue militants.

Israel granted Egypt permission following Sunday’s attack to deploy larger forces in the region to strike the militants.

But the Sinai attacks prompted Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood to call for a review of the treaty with Israel to allow Egypt to deploy forces in the region at its will.

The Brotherhood blamed Israel’s Mossad for the attack, a charge denied by the Jewish state. …more