Egyptian army soldiers patrol the Cairo-Ismailia desert road in Egypt, August 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Egypt has deployed 150 troops in Syria to support the Syrian Arab Army, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported on July 30, citing a military source.
The source told the state-run agency that the Egyptian service members were deployed in western Aleppo and southern Idlib. The troops were allegedly deployed in coordination with Iranian forces.
“The troops were later deployed in the Khan al-Asal area in western countryside of Aleppo and around the city of Saraqib in the southern countryside of Idlib,” the Anadolu Agency quoted the military source as saying.
The news agency claimed that the Egyptian service members had arrived via the Hama Air Base. However, no flights from Egypt to the said base were recorded over the past few days. This casts serious doubts on Turkish claims.
In the last few months, Turkey has deployed thousands of troops in Greater Idlib. The region is controlled by a number of terrorist groups, primarily by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
Egypt has been working to restrict Turkish influence in the Middle East and North Africa since 2013. Currently, there is a political confrontation between the two countries in Libya.
Throughout the war in Syria, Cairo maintained a respectful level of relations with Damascus despite Arab and Western pressure. In 2018, head of the Syrian National Security Bureau, Ali Mamlouk, paid a visit to Cairo where he met Abbas Kamel, director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate.
Turkey’s increasing influence in Syria, especially in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, may provoke Egypt. Nevertheless, Cairo is unlikely to take drastic steps like deploying troops. Cairo is known for prioritizing diplomacy. The Egyptian military is yet to intervene in neighboring Libya, despite Turkey’s growing military presence there.
Most excellent :)
The pictures of Egyptian personal equipment have great similarity’s with the equipment worn by the alleged Russian mercenaries in a transport helicopter last week in Libya.
There is therefore an argument that the ‘Russian’ mercs were infact Egyptian sourced mercs or Egyptian nationals on the flight in Syria last week.
Just a thought.
Same thoughts :)
These are Egyptian service members according to the article.
Egypt-Iran alliance?
I clearly wrote that the Egyptian troops shown in the article are wearing uniforms that are very similar to the alleged Russian mercs in a helicopter over Libya shown in a previous article last week. That would suggest that the alleged Russian mercs were, in fact Egyptian.
I replied to you on the article comments page.
Fake news?
I hope not.
In my opinion these are ridiculous statements, they try to exploit the fact that in recent years Egypt has sent its soldiers to Syria to learn how to fight terrorism, training required after the disastrous presidency of the Muslim brother Morsi, who freed everyone terrorists from Egyptian prisons.
That’ll be great as the Egyptian government will soon fall.
“Anadolu Agency is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.”
I don’t buy it, like why would they send soldiers in Syria and not Libya?
“Egypt has deployed 150 troops in Syria to support the Syrian Arab Army”. only 150… nah
Turkish disinformation.
I think you have point there.
Turk propaganda
No LNA neither Egypt has experience to fight with Mikey Mouse Jihadis from Syria. The best way to get quickly skill of fighting with them is fight them in Syria and learn from Syrians and Iranians. But want to support the opinion that it could be another piece of Erdogan’s propaganda.
There are still thousands of “Mikey Mouse Jihadis” from Syria in Libya so why would they look for them in country that is not next door ?!
And on top country in which they have no direct interests to participate since they already have Sinai and Libya
And since they want Libya for her oil (they can’t get Syrian oil so why would they go there?)
If I was Haftar I would send them in numbers BEFORE direct intervention in Libya to prepare ground and learn about the situation directly on the terrain.
They can also get quickly, all the fighting “skills” they need, there.
I believe it is Turk anti-Egypt propaganda.
Egypt unlike Turkey has no ambition to build an Empire so Turks try to accuse them of those intentions.
Because the U.S just threatened to sanction El-Sisi if he invades Libya. Sisi appears to have backed down.
The thing that tipped me off that it was bullshit was that a Turk claimed it, these guys could teach the Yanks a thing or two about paranoid nonsense. It’d increase my respect for Egypt if it were true though.
It’s sending Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood a message, and no it’s not about the Egyptians at all, Erdogan already knows where he stands with the Arab League, this is a message from Iran, not Egypt.
Nothing special..many military personal from others countries have been deployed in Syria to learn how to fight terrorism…Armenian ( sappers), Belarusians,Egyptians, Algerians,Iranians, Iraqis, Lebanese….
if true, it should worry the jews since it might just tell us where egypt and isis is on the jew-issue.
Erdogon and SISI both are workign for Zionist . Erdogon is using poor syrian and ISIL/Alqada to promote ottman empire and salfism. and SISI selling Palestine to US . Erdogon/Alsaud .BAhrain/Uae/Nigeria/sudan/ some toher African muslim country have sold thier soul to zioniist. Its good that ressitance is still alive with the support of Iran otherwise islam was doomed by this Whabhi terriost and king of Middleast africa.
Erdogan is working for Erdogan and his family.
very nice if true
Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood are in big trouble now, Iran and Egypt are cooperating in Idlib which means the Arab league cavalry is probably on its way.
The military war in Syria is less than half the big picture, the political war is the main focus for all the involved parties, military objectives aren’t as important as political objectives.
In 2015 Russia, Iran, and Turkey all drew up a new resolution and got it passed by the UN, it was called resolution 2254 and it pertained to the political future of Syria, but it wasn’t something that Assad agreed to so the Russian, Iranians, and Turks were unable to implement the resolution fully in the timeframe proposed.
After many negotiations in 2018 all parties [except Assad] agreed to continue to implement resolution 2254 through the new Astana process, and right up until the middle of 2019 everyone but Assad was happy with the arrangement.
But when the UN approached Assad with a new proposal to amend the Russian/Iranian/Turkish resolution 2254 in mid 2019, Assad accepted the new UN proposal the same day the UN made it, so nearly 5 years of saying no to his Russian and Iranian allies but just one day to accept the new UN proposal [and the UN is Assad’s enemy].
Of course Erdogan was furious about this as it decreased Turkey’s say in the rewriting of the Syrian constitution and the subsequent elections that were supposed to be held after a 6 months, it also effectively weakened the Turkish backed Syrian Interim Government and by default gave HTS’s illegitimate Salvation Government even more influence in Idlib than they already had, so Erdogan lost out 2 ways, internationally and domestically in Idlib.
But at the end of 2019 things got much worse for Erdogan, Russia and Iran launched a new offensive in Aleppo and Idlib which contravened the Astana arrangement, which then left the Syrian Government in control of some areas of Syria the Astana agreement said they couldn’t, and Erdogan has been more than just furius with Russia and Iran ever since, so Erdogan’s been getting his revenge.
Apart from all the shenanigans Erdogan’s had with Russia lately in Idlib [broken ceasefires, illegal troop deployment, illegal weapons supplies] and the troubles in Libya as well, Turkey’s also been punishing both Russia and Iran on the economic front as well.
Here’s a breakdown of gas imports into Turkey pre Russian/Iranian offensive on Aleppo and a post offensive breakdown.
Russia 33.38%, Azerbaijan 28.72%, Iran 20.26%, Algeria 12.65%, Qatar 4.99%,
Here’s a breakdown of gas imports into Turkey post Russian/Iranian offensive,
Azerbaijan 33.38%, Qatar 28.72%, Russia 12.74%, Algeria 12.57, US 10.57% + a few others, but Iran is now 0%.
Look at the numbers, Azerbaijan now gets 33.38% which Russia used to, and Qatar gets 28.72% which Azerbaijan used to, so Azerbaijan, Qatar and the US all get a huge boost in sales, but now Russia gets a third of the sales they used to, and Iran gets nothing at all.
Iran’s offered to rebuild the destroyed gas line to Turkey [someone destroyed], even threatened Turkey in court to resume sales, also offered to renegotiate a new very low price, and just about begged Turkey to resume imports, but Turkey’s still saying no.
On top of that Russian oil exports to Turkey have also been decreased, so Turkey’s not doing anything at all to help Russia’s or Iran’s economies during these economically turbulent times.
Pro Turkish Azerbaijan is also stopping all imports from Iran, so US sanctions are just one of the difficulties Iran’s facing, Chinese oil and gas imports from Iran are about the only thing really keeping them going now.
The Aleppo campaign is proving costly to Iran if current diminished gas sales are the result of that action, low oil prices, US sanctions, covid 19, and a costly war, all mean the last thing Iran needs right now is for a major trading partner like Turkey to pull out and go elsewhere looking for business, like Turkey just did.
So could this help explain Iran’s desire to from a new partnership with Egypt, especially a military partnership in Idlib and Aleppo, possibly it does.
The Arab League have been offering to help Assad since late 2017 but Iran and Syria have been refusing their help, but now that Turkey’s been so obstinate with Iran and refusing to recommence gas imports, maybe Iran’s changing their attitude. Maybe the Arab League’s offers are becoming more appealing now, especially since Iran’s facing even more financial hardship thanks to Erdogan actions, or lack of them.
And Turkey will never recommence imports of Iranian gas after the Libyan deal goes ahead, and probably even decrease Russian gas/oil imports as well [possibly not transit oil/gas], so things will probably never get better for Iran, just worse if Turkey starts competing on the market with their new supply of Libyan gas/oil.
The Saudis and the Arab League have offered Assad and the government, UN peacekeepers, allegedly one billion $ for reconstruction costs, offered new trade deals/partnerships, already reopened diplomatic relation, and offered political assistance too, and everything for absolutely no price at all, FREE FREE FREE, and what do the Arab League nations want in return, they want Iran and Syria to help them defeat the Muslim Brotherhood, that’s all they want in return, no other strings attached, FREE FREE FREE.
Erdogan had better be careful, France is making some noise too now so all his dreams may come crashing down around him, he may come to regret all his recent economic/political maneuvers if things do backfire, and Iran siding with the Arab League would be the biggest backfire Erdogan could ever experience.
This could be a breakthrough moment for Assad if he accepts Arab League help, Turkey could be in big trouble and the Muslim Brotherhood will get a real fight from now on, big money is on it’s way I’d say.