Egyptian President Sisi Calls For Resumption Of U.S. Military Aid

Washington Free Beacon: Fearing Collapse, Egypt’s Sisi Calls for Resumption of Military Aid

Military aid frozen following political coup

JERUSALEM—Warning of Egypt’s possible collapse under economic pressures and the threat of rampant terror, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called on the United States over the weekend to resume military aid that has been partially frozen because of the political coup that brought Sisi to power and because of alleged human rights violations.

Terming Egypt, with its population of 90 million, “the bedrock of stability in the area,” Sisi told television interviewer Charlie Rose that if Egypt is destabilized it would have an impact on neighboring Israel and on Europe as well.

More News On Egyptian President Sisi Calling For Resumption Of U.S. Military Aid

U.S. to Decide Soon on Restoring Military Aid to Egypt -- NYT
Kerry expects decision soon on unfreezing millions in US military aid to Egyptian government -- AP
Egyptian president pushes U.S. for military aid in Fox News interview -- Reuters
Kerry: US will decide 'very soon' on resumption of military aid to Egypt -- Al-Bawaba

U.S. Will Not Support Egypt In Its War Against The Islamic State In Libya

Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast: U.S. Won’t Back Egypt’s Attacks on ISIS

Two longtime allies are attacking ISIS—and growing frustrated with one another. That’s good news for the so-called Islamic State.

The Obama administration was given multiple chances Wednesday to endorse a longtime ally’s airstrikes on America’s biggest enemy at the moment, the so-called Islamic State. Over and over again, Obama’s aides declined to back Egypt’s military operation against ISIS. It’s another sign of the growing strain between the United States and Egypt, once one of its closest friends in the Middle East.

This shouldn’t be a complete surprise; Cairo, after all, didn’t tell Washington about its strikes on the ISIS hotbed of Derna, Libya. Still, Wednesday's disconnect was jarring. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest passed on a reporter’s question about an endorsement of Egypt’s growing campaign against ISIS. So did State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

“We are neither condemning nor condoning” the Egyptian strikes, is all one U.S. official would tell The Daily Beast.

WNU Editor: If one had any doubts that the U.S. and Egypt were not on the same page in combating the Islamic State, this Pentagon admission sums it up .... U.S. had no warning on strikes in Libya by Egypt, a counterterrorism ally (Washington Post).

U.S. Furious That Egypt And The UAE Did Not Notify The White House That They Were Launching Airstrikes Against Islamists In Libya

US Furious After Source Of "Mystery" Libya Bombing Raids Revealed -- Zero Hedge

Over the past week a new geopolitical mystery emerged: an "unknown" party was launching airstrikes against Libya, which is already reeling in its latest political crisis where headlines such as this have become the norm:

* MILITIA MEN SET HOUSE OF LIBYAN PM THENI ABLAZE: ARABIYA
* LIBYA'S NEIGHBOURS AGREE NOT TO INTERVENE IN LIBYAN AFFAIRS, CALL FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE

The strikes puzzled all media outlets, including Reuters which just over the weekend reported that "Unidentified war planes attacked positions of an armed faction in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday, residents and local media said. Local channel al-Nabaa said the planes had attacked four positions of the Operation Dawn, an umbrella of Islamist-leaning forces from Misrata which has been trying to expel brigades from Zintan, also located in western Libya." This follows a similar report when on Monday, the government said unknown fighter jets had bombed positions from armed factions in Tripoli, an attack claimed by a renegade general in Benghazi.

Read more ....

Previous Post: New York Times: Egypt And United Arab Emirates Have Secretly Carried Out Libya Airstrikes

My Comment: The above video provides a good summary on these air strikes and U.S. reaction to being left out. As to what is my take .... this is what happens when your allies can no longer trust you.