British troops to support peacekeeping force between Egypt and Israel

Around 100 British troops are to be sent to Egypt to support an international peacekeeping force, the Defence Secretary has said.

Michael Fallon said a squadron of the Royal Engineers will be deployed for up to 12 weeks from next month.

They will provide engineering support to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), which operates in the Sinai peninsula and seeks to oversee the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

In a written statement to Parliament, Mr Fallon said: “The deployment begins in March 2016 and will involve approximately 100 personnel from the Corps of the Royal Engineers carrying out a range of infrastructure improvement works at the MFO main operating base in Sinai for up to 12 weeks.

“The UK has a long history of supporting the MFO and currently provides the MFO with an engineer officer of the rank of major to serve on the force commander’s staff.”