U.S. Confirms Apache Deliveries to Egypt

September 20, 2014  

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Egyptian Defense Minister Colonel General Sedki Sobhy on Saturday to confirm the United States plans to deliver 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt, Reuters reported.

The Pentagon said the Apaches are meant to support Cairo’s counter-terrorism efforts, the Pentagon said.

Washington said in April it planned to resume some of the annual $1.5 billion in mostly military aid to Cairo, including 10 Apache helicopter gunships for counterterrorism efforts in the Sinai Peninsula.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said at the time that the helicopters would support Egypt’s counter-terrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula.

The United States announced last year it would cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Egypt over its displeasure with the military’s pace of restoring democracy following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi.

U.S. law forbids sending aid to countries where a democratic government was deposed by a military coup, though Washington has never qualified Morsi’s ouster as a “coup” and has been cautious about doing so, choosing only to condemn the violence in the country.

On Saturday, Kirby said Hagel had confirmed to General Sobhy that Washington planned to deliver the helicopters, built by Boeing Co., but gave no date, according to Reuters.

Kirby said Hagel also thanked Egypt for its role in brokering a ceasefire to end the latest round of Gaza fighting between Hamas and Israel.


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