Sinai neglected after Mubarak's downfallEgypt has not given details of the equipment it has sent to Sinai, but security sources had said aircraft and tanks would be used. Egyptian television has shown images of Sisi speaking to troops in Sinai at a camp with tanks and other heavy weaponry.The unrest has occurred mainly in north Sinai, where many people have guns and where Bedouin tribes have long complained of neglect by central government. They say they have seen no benefits from the expanding Sinai tourist resorts.Mubarak's military-backed government worked closely with Israel to keep the region under control. Diplomats say security contacts continued after Mubarak's fall. But Egyptian security sources said Israel should not expect day-to-day reports.The 1979 peace treaty limits the military presence in the desert peninsula though in recent years Israel has agreed to allow Egypt to deploy more forces there to stem weapons smuggling by Palestinian gunmen and crime.Israeli officials, who say they are in regular contact with Cairo, have encouraged Egypt to take tough action against the gunmen behind the Aug. 5 assault and have previously approved the use of helicopters in the operation.No one has claimed responsibility for the killing of the border guards but a Sinai-based Islamist militant organization, the Salafi Jihadi Group, warned the Egyptian army last week that the crackdown would force it to fight back.
Egypt broadens Sinai campaign to root out terror
Move by Egyptian army to deploy heavy weaponry into region, in defiance of peace treaty, has heightened Israeli concerns.
Sinai neglected after Mubarak's downfallEgypt has not given details of the equipment it has sent to Sinai, but security sources had said aircraft and tanks would be used. Egyptian television has shown images of Sisi speaking to troops in Sinai at a camp with tanks and other heavy weaponry.The unrest has occurred mainly in north Sinai, where many people have guns and where Bedouin tribes have long complained of neglect by central government. They say they have seen no benefits from the expanding Sinai tourist resorts.Mubarak's military-backed government worked closely with Israel to keep the region under control. Diplomats say security contacts continued after Mubarak's fall. But Egyptian security sources said Israel should not expect day-to-day reports.The 1979 peace treaty limits the military presence in the desert peninsula though in recent years Israel has agreed to allow Egypt to deploy more forces there to stem weapons smuggling by Palestinian gunmen and crime.Israeli officials, who say they are in regular contact with Cairo, have encouraged Egypt to take tough action against the gunmen behind the Aug. 5 assault and have previously approved the use of helicopters in the operation.No one has claimed responsibility for the killing of the border guards but a Sinai-based Islamist militant organization, the Salafi Jihadi Group, warned the Egyptian army last week that the crackdown would force it to fight back.