A series of explosions in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has injured six peacekeepers, including four Americans. U.S. defense officials reported that the wounded had to be airlifted out of the area.
The first explosion was from an improvised explosive device set in the road. It exploded as the vehicle of the two international troops drove over it. The second explosion hit the four Americans as they attempted to assist those injured by the first bomb.
The multinational force evacuated the soldiers by air with non-life-threatening injuries, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, in a statement.
The six were in Egypt serving as part of an international coalition, the Multinational Force of Observers. The MFO has been working to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel since 1978- the year a peace treaty was reached between the two nations.
The peacekeepers were stationed in the northeastern of the Sinai. This area has increasingly come under attack by Islamic militants inspired by the Islamic State. The Pentagon has admitted to concerns over the worsening conditions on the peninsula. The security of Egyptian and International troops stationed there are exposed to ever greater risk. In the past few months, several IEDs have brought down Egyptian soldiers.
The MFO has its base on the Siani, ten miles from Egypt’s border with Israel.
“We are considering what, if any, additional measures might be needed to ensure force protection,” said Maj. Roger M. Cabiness II, a military spokesman at the Pentagon. “This includes bringing in additional equipment if necessary.”
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