Gunmen kill policeman in attack near Egypt’s St. Catherine’s Monastery

Gunmen attacked security forces near St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt’s south Sinai on Tuesday, killing at least one police officer and injuring four others, the Health Ministry said, just a week after two deadly church bombings killed 45. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on a police checkpoint about 800 meters (yards) from the […]

Christians Being Erased from the Middle East, Land of its Birth

In the Middle East, Christianity is dying. Radical Muslims from the ranks of the Islamic State [ISIS] are killing them en masse and are threatening their very existence in the land where Christianity was born. And the world continues to turn a deaf ear. In the United States, our Congress gives lip service to the […]

Trump hosts Egyptian president al-Sisi in effort to renew U.S.-Egypt ties

President Donald Trump welcomed the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to the White House today, drawing pointed criticism from those who say the meeting validates the Egyptian leader who rose to power following a military ouster of a democratically elected president. Before the meeting between the heads of state, protesters gathered near the Washington […]

Link seen between Russia and Libyan commander Haftar: U.S. general

The head of U.S. forces in Africa told reporters on Friday there was an “undeniable” link between Russia and powerful Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, underscoring U.S. concerns about Moscow’s deepening role in Libya. Earlier this month Reuters reported that Russia appeared to have deployed special forces to an air base in western Egypt near the […]

Exclusive: Russia appears to deploy forces in Egypt, eyes on Libya role – sources

Russia appears to have deployed special forces to an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya in recent days, U.S., Egyptian and diplomatic sources say, a move that would add to U.S. concerns about Moscow’s deepening role in Libya. The U.S. and diplomatic officials said any such Russian deployment might be part of […]

Egypt’s Christians flee Sinai amid Islamic State killing spree

Christian families and students fled Egypt’s North Sinai province in droves on Friday after Islamic State killed the seventh member of their community in just three weeks. A Reuters reporter saw 25 families gathered with their belongings in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia’s Evangelical Church and church officials said 100 families, out of around […]

A year ago, Israel, Jordan and Egypt secretly met for peace

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly a year ago with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in a failed attempt by the Obama administration to convene a wider regional summit on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Israel’s Haaretz daily said on Sunday. At the White House on Wednesday, Netanyahu again raised the possibility of what he described as […]

Operation Bulmus 6, the raid on Green Island

Raid: a type of operation that captivates the mind and many people believe that it is the essence of what SOF units are about, hit hard and get out quickly, leaving only destruction in your wake. One such operation that I found fascinating as a young reader of military history was the Israeli raid on […]

Russia turns to Libya with show of support for eastern commander

A visit to a Russian aircraft carrier by Libya’s Khalifa Haftar has given the eastern–based commander a symbolic boost while also signaling Moscow’s interest in a greater role in the region following its intervention in Syria. Haftar is a figurehead for east Libyan factions who harbors national ambitions, and his renewed engagement with Russia comes […]

Egypt Says Traces of Explosives Were Found on EgyptAir Crash Victims

 Egypt said on Thursday that explosive traces had been detected on the bodies of passengers retrieved from EgyptAir Flight 804, which plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in May and killed all 66 people on board. The announcement by the Civil Aviation Ministry offers the strongest suggestion yet that a bomb might have felled the airliner as it […]

Bombing kills six police officers in Cairo

Six police officers were killed and several were injured after an IED detonated at a security check point in Cairo, Egypt. According to Al Jazeera, a group called Hasm Movement (meaning decisiveness) claimed responsibility for the attack. The Hasm movement said it targeted a police checkpoint in Haram Street, close to the famous Giza Pyramids with an explosive […]