[Foxbat]

US mulling withdrawal of Sinai multinational force, reports say

DEBKAfile April 6, 2016, 12:48 PM (IDT)

The Obama administration is considering the redeployment of the multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai Peninsula, made up primarily of US troops, from bases in the north to more well-protected ones in the south, and replacing the troops with unmanned technology, reports said Wednesday. The move comes amid continuing terrorist attacks by ISIS in the area. Defense Department spokesman Christopher Sherwood said in a statement issued Tuesday that "The (Pentagon) supports the role being played by the Multinational Force and Observers in supporting the Treaty of Peace between Israel and Egypt," adding that "We are in continuous contact with the MFO and adjust force protection capabilities as conditions warrant." The MFO consists of soldiers from numerous nations including 700 US troops. Some of its observer stations were shut down in September 2015 after four of peacekeepers were injured in an ISIS roadside bomb attack.

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