Official: US beefing up protection for Sinai peacekeepers
A Pentagon official says the US is sending extra troops and support equipment to improve protection for US peacekeepers in the northern Sinai Peninsula, in the aftermath of a roadside bomb attack last week that wounded four US soldiers.
The official said about 75 additional troops are being deployed, including a light-infantry platoon and a surgical team, as well as surveillance equipment and other assets designed to beef up the peacekeepers' self-protection.
The US has about 720 peacekeepers in the Sinai as part of a multinational peacekeeping and observer force that has continually monitored compliance with the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
