5,000 Egyptian Troops Deploy Along Gaza Border
Pastor Dale Morgan
Oct 29, 10:50 PM EDT
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5,000 Egyptian Troops Deploy Along Gaza Border*
By ASHRAF SWEILAM
Associated Press Writer
RAFAH, Egypt (AP) -- Up to 5,000 Egyptian soldiers deployed near the
Egypt-Gaza border Saturday after reports of a possible Israeli "smart
bomb" attack on suspected smuggling tunnels, security officials said.
Troops fanned out across the northern Sinai peninsula, patrolling roads
in and out of border towns and setting up checkpoints, an Egyptian
interior ministry official said in Cairo. Police were launching raids on
suspected militant hideouts as well, he added on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Last week, Israel said it had uncovered 15 tunnels burrowed under the
Egypt-Gaza border, where militants are suspected of smuggling weapons
and other contraband to use in attacks against Israel.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Friday that Israel planned to use
precision-guided weapons to destroy the tunnels. But the Egyptian
interior ministry official denied the amassing of troops was in response
to the report.
"This is considered a security precaution in Sinai, and it does not have
anything to do with the latest media reports," he said.
The same official said he was aware of the Israeli report and that
Egyptian authorities had their own intelligence information to verify
it. He added Israel could be looking for an alternative to re-occupying
Gaza, which it turned over to Palestinian control in 2005.
After an Israeli soldier was captured by Hamas-linked militants on June
25, Israel launched a massive military operation into Gaza, where Cpl.
Gilad Shalit is believed to be held. It was the first time Israeli
troops entered parts of the coastal strip since the 2005 withdrawal.
On Saturday, residents were forced to evacuate their homes and shops to
make room for thousands of Egyptian troops moving into border regions, a
Sinai security official said on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to speak to the media.
The official said Egypt had not given approval for any Israeli attacks
on suspected tunnels in the area, and that talks were planned between
Israeli and Egyptian officials over the matter.
"There will be negotiations aimed at discouraging such a (bombing)
operation, because thousands of local civilians will be subjected to
danger," he said.
The Rafah crossing is open only sporadically, and there are often
thousands of Palestinians waiting in the area to cross back and forth
into Egypt.
Witnesses said nearly 1,000 Egyptian border guards continue to man posts
along the Egypt-Gaza border, in a buffer zone established after Israeli
relinquished control of the crossing.
Egyptian and Palestinian control of the frontier was considered key to
ending Israel's more than 30-year occupation of Gaza. But Israel has
complained that weapons-trafficking continues there.