Israel media - Channel 2 - just reported that the US-commanded Multi-National Force Observors headquarters in the Sinai is under assault. Salafists laid seige to the building this afternoon and some 50 armed men stormed it. There is fighting going on in the building and there are dead inside.The MFO is the force that was established under the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. It is charged with guaranteeing the demilitarization of the Sinai.
The MFO has two bases. I believe that the one under attack is in northern Sinai, built on an old Israeli Air Force base.
The MFO has come under attack several times since the outset of the US-supported Islamic revolution there. The US approved and forced Israel to accept the deployment of Egyptian tanks in the Sinai some weeks ago as part of a much touted counterterror offensive of the Egyptian military. Its results were inconclusive but at Israel's insistence, the tanks were removed a couple weeks ago. Egyptian President Morsi supports the remilitarization of the Sinai. It is hard not to see the strategic implications of this attack on the MFO.
Caroline Glick :: US-commanded MFO in Sinai under attack -- dead reported in compound
U.S. Command MFO Base in Sinai under attack: Report of dead inside compound
The MFO has two bases. I believe that the one under attack is in northern Sinai, built on an old Israeli Air Force base.
The MFO has come under attack several times since the outset of the US-supported Islamic revolution there. The US approved and forced Israel to accept the deployment of Egyptian tanks in the Sinai some weeks ago as part of a much touted counterterror offensive of the Egyptian military. Its results were inconclusive but at Israel's insistence, the tanks were removed a couple weeks ago. Egyptian President Morsi supports the remilitarization of the Sinai. It is hard not to see the strategic implications of this attack on the MFO.
Caroline Glick :: US-commanded MFO in Sinai under attack -- dead reported in compound
U.S. Command MFO Base in Sinai under attack: Report of dead inside compound
Report of U.S. Command Multinational Force Observer Base (North Sinai) under attack by Muslim terrorists. Reports of death inside compound. Breaking...
Update:
Protein Wisdom
Debka reports:
EBL: U.S. Command MFO Base in Sinai under attack: Report of dead inside compound
Times of Israel Reports: The headquarters of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai was attacked on Friday night by dozens of Bedouin Salafi gunmen, Israel’s Channel 2 News reported.Dozens of gunmen, in some 50 vehicles, surrounded the base and then 60-70 of them burst in, storming into the base amid heavy gunfire. Exchanges of fire were continuing into the night, the report said.First reports of the attack surfaced a little after 8 p.m. local time. Half-an-hour later, Channel 2 reported that Egyptian troops had arrived at the base, to try to help to restore order.The TV report cited conflicting accounts of casualties. One source indicated that three people had been killed. Another said there were no fatalities, but that three Colombian members of the force had been injured.The attackers were described as Bedouin jihadists, possibly affiliated with Al-Qaeda. First reports said Al-Qaeda flags were seen flying at the base after the attack.US forces dominate the MFO’s 1,650-strong personnel. The MFO’s mission is to oversee the arrangements for securing the Sinai as agreed by Israel and Egypt in their 1979 peace accords.
The MFO is part of the Camp David treaty to maintain a non-militarized Sinai between Egypt and Israel. It is under U.S. Command with a combination of U.S. and other NATO and allied forces participating. Photos from the MFO Bases in Sinai.Update:
Protein Wisdom
Debka reports:
DEBKAfile’s military and Egyptian sources report that the gunmen drove up to the camp in 50 Toyota pickups, first blocking the roads to the Al Ghora base southwest of El Arish, then knocking over two guard posts. They faced heavy resistance from the international force before torching the facility, plundering its arms and ordnance stores and hoisting the black al Qaeda flag. A second band of 60-70 gunmen then arrived and the firefight continued although an Egyptian force arrived on the scene with 11 armored personnel carriers.
Riehl World View EBL: U.S. Command MFO Base in Sinai under attack: Report of dead inside compound