Egypt received on Thursday a second shipment of mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles from the United States that it claims would boost the fighting abilities of the armed forces, a statement by Egypt's army spokesman read. The delivery of the batch took place at an inauguration ceremony, where the head of the vehicles department in Egypt's defense ministry General Khaled Roshdy said that receiving the new vehicles reveals "powerful indications of the depth of strategic relations and shared interests. The US embassy's senior defence attaché in Cairo, Major General Charles Hooper, stressed the importance of the event and considered it a clear sign of the strong partnership between Egypt and the US that goes back over three decades. The ceremony was also attended by the US envoy in Cairo R. Stephen Beecroft where he expressed his hope for Egypt's success in different fields, adding that a "powerful Egypt" resembles the security and stability of the whole region. This is not the first shipment that the US has transferred to Egypt. Last May, an initial shipment of a total of 762 MRAP vehicles was transferred to Egypt from the US at no-cost under the US Department of Defence's Excess Defense Articles grant programme. The new vehicles, originally designed for US military operations in Afghanistan, provide enhanced levels of protection to soldiers, and are proven to save lives. In its fight against terrorists in North Sinai, hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have been killed by roadside bombs targeting their army and police vehicles.
