The United States delivered a batch of mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles to the Egyptian military on Thursday, the US embassy said in an official statement. The heavily armored MRAP vehicles are specifically designed to protect soldiers from blasts emanating from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), landmines, and other types of attacks. Thursday's delivery is considered the second batch of a total of 762 MRAP vehicles that the US is transferring to Egypt. "Continuing the long-standing security cooperation between the United States and Egypt, the Egyptian Armed Forces today received a batch of American MRAP vehicles," the embassy said. Official spokesperson for the army Mohamed Samir said the delivery from the US is a sign of powerful cooperation and constant support from the nation to Egypt's armament, according to a statement issued Thursday. The spokesperson's statement also cited the US embassy's senior defence official in Cairo Major General Charles Hooper as stating: "The delivery of these MRAPs to Egypt is a sign of a strong, decades-long cooperation and a strong relationship between the US and Egypt." In March, Egypt received the first shipment of MRAP vehicles via the port of Alexandria. Major military support from the US began following the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty; partly to guarantee security for Israel and partly as a Cold War strategy to realign Egypt from the Soviet Union to the US. The Atlantic Council report states that over the course of the past 35 years, the US has provided over $40bn worth of defence aid to Egypt, second only to Israel. Source: Daily News Egypt
