US reviews peacekeepers' withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai
Source: Al Jazeera
The United States military says it has formally notified Egypt and Israel that it is reviewing whether to automate aspects of multinational peacekeeping operations in the Sinai, potentially allowing a reduction in American troop deployments.
US officials, speaking to Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, said that using remote surveillance technology could eventually allow the US to withdraw hundreds of its roughly 700 peacekeeping troops.
Installed to monitor the demilitarisation of the Sinai under the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace accord, the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) mission has come under increased scrutiny over the past year, particularly after six peacekeepers were wounded by a roadside bomb in September. Four US soldiers were among them.
The US believes that the structure of the more than three-decade-old operation may be outdated.
Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/reviews-peacekeepers-withdrawal-egypt-sinai-160413121822637.html
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