Archive for Egyptian military

Military confirms missiles fired from Rafah into Israel

by admin
November 14th, 2012

 

Egyptian military sources confirmed on Wednesday reports that missiles were launched from the border town of Rafah toward an Israeli settlement

The two countries are forming a joint military committee at Israel's request to determine the circumstances surrounding the missile launch, the sources said.

Israeli commercial broadcaster Channel 10 had earlier reported that four missiles fired from Rafah struck southern Israel in an area near the Gaza Strip‫.

Three of them landed in an open area, while the fourth hit a settlement in the Eshkol region but did not cause any injuries or damage, Channel 10 reported.

The attacks coincided with the announcement of the death of Ahmed al-Jaabari, who ran the Izz al-Din al-Qassam armed wing of Hamas and is wanted by Israel.

Jaabari died along with an unnamed associate when their car was blown apart by an Israeli missile, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Egypt, Turkey start joint war games

by admin
October 9th, 2012

 

Egyptian and Turkish naval forces started a week-long joint military exercise in the Mediterranean on Sunday, an Egyptian military official said.

The official, who asked not to be named, said Monday that five Egyptian navy units and aircraft are taking part in the drills, dubbed "The Sea of Friendship."

The same official added that Egypt will engage with the US Army in another military exercise dubbed "Bright Star" during the second half of 2013. The biannual drill, a cornerstone for US-Egyptian military relations, was cancelled in 2011 due to the political turmoil that followed the fall of Egypt's former ruling regime.

In 2009, troops from Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey took part in the Bright Star exercise.

Turkey expressed early support for Egypt's January 2011 revolution in its earliest stage. Since his election in June, President Mohamed Morsy has sought to improve Egyptian relations with Turkey. He attended a conference of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party late September. During the visit, Turkey approved a LE1 billion loan for Egypt.

Edited translation from MENA

Tags: , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Police clash with armed men in north Sinai, state TV reports

by admin
August 9th, 2012

Egyptian police clashed with armed men in northern Sinai's Arish, state television reported on Thursday, a day after security forces began a crackdown on Islamist militants in the region.

"Clashes resumed between armed men and police forces in front of police station number two in al-Arish," Nile News television reported, citing its correspondent there.

Masked gunmen had attacked seven army and police checkpoints in Arish early Wednesday morning.

The assaults came after the Sunday night attack on a checkpoint in Rafah near the Israeli border by gunmen believed to belong to extremist Islamic groups, killing 16 Egyptian soldiers.

Egyptian military and security forces strengthened their presence in Sinai after the incident and carried out a military campaign Wednesday morning that officials said killed 20 militants, according to Reuters.

Tags: , , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Foreign Ministry: Mali okays Egyptian military plane evacuation of Ahly team

by admin
May 2nd, 2012

Amr Roshdy, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, has said that the Egyptian embassy in Bamako, the capital of Mali, obtained permission from the Malian Defense Ministry for an Egyptian military plane to land there and fly back the Ahly Club team and the accompanying press mission.

Roshdy added in a statement on Wednesday that Shady al-Sharkawy, the acting ambassador in Mali, had met with the Malian defense minister on Wednesday for that purpose.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided to send a military plane to return the team and the press corps from Mali.

The team, who lost Sunday's match 1-0 to Stade Malien in the African Champions' League, was initially prevented from flying out because of bad weather, according to the club's website.

But later the team was further delayed when fighting erupted on Monday in a bid to reverse the 22 March coup that toppled President Amadou Toumani Toure.

The Nigerian Sunshine Stars football club’s team has been also stranded in Bamako since Saturday.

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Reports: Israeli spy to be exchanged with Egyptian prisoners Wednesday

by admin
April 22nd, 2012

News reports Sunday said Egypt and Israel have made a deal to release alleged Israeli spy Ouda Tarabin on Wednesday in exchange for 63 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel.

Tarabin has been imprisoned in Egypt since 2000 on accusations of spying for Israel.

The Palestinian Ma’an News Agency said Sunday that Egyptian prisoner Moussa al-Attrash’s brother, Abdel Fattah, received a phone call from Moussa, who told him that officials at the prison had visited them on Saturday and informed them they would be released in a prisoner swap deal that will take place Wednesday.

Egyptian authorities arrested Tarabin after he crossed the Israeli-Egyptian border. He claimed he was visiting a relative.

An Egyptian military source spoke on condition of anonymity to Ma’an saying Egypt struck the deal with Israel to swap prisoners, but that it’s not yet clear if Egypt will extradite Tarabin via Cairo or Taba airport.

Once the news was reported, according to the Israel’s military radio station, Knesset member Ayoub Kara visited Tarabin’s family and demanded they show skepticism toward the news and not make statements to the media about the issue.

Israeli radio also said that Kara and another Knesset member, Israel Hasson, participated in talks with Egypt over the deal.

The Israeli Walla news website reported that the Egyptian prisoners’ families were promised by Egyptian officials that their relatives will be released on 25 April in exchange for Tarabin.

Ma’an quoted an Egyptian security source as saying that talks took place between Egyptian and Israeli officials last week in Cairo and that they agreed to release Tarabin in exchange for Egyptian prisoners.

News reports last week said Egyptian prisoners had started a hunger strike because they were not released in exchange for alleged Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, who was detained by Egypt in November and later exchanged for 25 Egyptian prisoners in Israel.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Tags: , , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)

Military source: US aid part of Egypt-Israel peace treaty, reflects US trust in SCAF

by admin
March 24th, 2012

US assistance to Egypt is part of the 1979 peace treaty Egypt signed with Israel, a senior Egyptian military source has said.

It is not linked to Egypt’ progress towards democracy, the source said, according to London-based Asharq al-Awsat's Saturday edition.

The Obama administration on Friday formally agreed to release $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt despite Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy goals, saying US national security requires continued military assistance.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waived congressional conditions imposed late last year that tied US aid to progress in Egypt's transition to democracy following the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

In a statement published Friday, Clinton justified her decision to waive the condition by saying that the aid serves to preserve “America’s national security interests.”

“Egypt has made significant progress toward democracy in the last 15 months, including: free and fair parliamentary elections and the transfer of legislative authority to the new People’s Assembly, and a date announced for complete transition to civilian leadership.”

Clinton's decision, which has been criticized by some US lawmakers, took note of Egypt's progress since last year's street uprising, including holding parliamentary elections and preparing for a presidential election in May.

Asharq al-Awsat's source said that that the US decision to continue giving aid to Egypt reflects the “depth of Egyptian-American” relations.

The US “trusts that the Egyptian leadership, represented in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is heading towards democracy after the conduct of the parliamentary election which the entire world said was characterized by integrity.”

He added that the US is confident that the SCAF will hand over power to an elected president at the end of May.

Mohamed al-Keshki, military attaché at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, said continuing US aid to Egypt demonstrates the strength of relations and of cooperation between the US and Egypt.

The fact that assistance was not tied to democratic transformation should not be conceived as a negative message, he said.

He added that the SCAF will hand over power at the specified date and emphasized that “it takes several years to achieve democracy. It is not established overnight.”

Tags: , ,
Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
Comments (0)