Gunmen attack Sinai HQ of MFO peacekeeping force, four injured

Times of Israel ^ | 9/14/12

[Dave346]

The headquarters of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai was attacked on Friday night by dozens of Bedouin Salafi gunmen, Israel’s Channel 2 News reported.

Dozens of gunmen, in some 50 vehicles, surrounded the base and then 60-70 of them burst in, storming into the base amid heavy gunfire.

First reports of the attack surfaced a little after 8 p.m. local time. Half-an-hour later, Channel 2 reported that Egyptian troops in 11 armored vehicles had arrived at the base, to try to help to restore order.

The TV report said four members of the MFO, all of them officers, were injured. It said three of them had been evacuated to Israel’s Soroka Medical Center, with at least one of them in serious condition.

[Dave346]

More chaos in Egypt!

[keat]

Multinational Force and Observers, now that sounds like a fierce outfit.

[Arkansas Tider]

The MFO includes about 600 US soldiers.

[Netz]

Thank you President Obama for giving the gift of killing and mayhem to the Moslem Brotherhood. Thank you as well Sir for weakening the US projection of strength around the world via “soft power”, “reset”, “leading from behind” and the now famous Cairo speech that set this whole barrel of monkeys off in the first place. What a massive Cateresque failure!! Thank you for not supporting our allies and emboldening our enemies. Yes you deserve 4 more years but not in the White House. You should be organizing some community somewhere in an obscure hole.

[OKSooner]

It’s Romney’s fault. /s

[Drill Thrawl]

The MFO includes about 600 US soldiers.

And the U.S. soldiers are known as the MFO MoFos

[frankenMonkey]

...and some gave their all... 101st Airborne remembers Soldiers of Gander crash

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks President Urkel.

[MS from the OC]

I wonder if we allowed them to have real ammo?

Perhaps we can ship some of the hollow points that the Social Security Admin and NOAA purchased... /sarcasm off

[TurboZamboni]

When we did our rotation there back in the day, we had the berets that looked like girl scouts in color. Not sure if they still have those or not. Doesn’t exactly strike fear.

[corlorde]

I did 6 months at SCC-5, as the NCOIC in 1998. That was a good assignment, not so much now I take it.

[corlorde]

We had ammo out at the remote sites, and clear Rules of engagement (very limited, protection of life and government property/breach in the perimeter etc). Who in the hell knows what it is now.

[corlorde]

It rotates through units. I was in the 101st when I went. We were replaced by the 82nd, who was then replaced by 10th Mountain etc.

[fightin kentuckian]

That mission was given to Army National Guard units who fill it for a year and change out. They are mostly in South Camp, Sharm el Sheik, while Active component Army staff are mostly in North Camp, near Rafah, which is the camp the article us likely talking about. Or it could be one of the much smaller encampments. BTW, I was the FPNCOIC 06-07.

[Feckless]

now that sounds like a fierce outfit
They didn't choose their assignment, like good soldiers they go where they're told.
3 Battalions of Infantry, Colombian, Fijian, American - stretched the entire length of the Sinai peninsula mostly in small OPs manned with platoon sized units - very vulnerable. This was the main HQ in North Camp. Not much more than some crew served light Infantry weapons. Mostly MPs with M-16/M4 in the towers.

[Feckless]

I flew to Cairo in that Arrow Air DC-8 Stretch. 3/60th 9ID
A few days later they herded us into the gym at South Camp to tell us the news. Lost 248 brave souls that day, RIP Screaming Eagle Brothers in Arms.

[apoliticalone]

Does anyone have the foggiest idea (especially us average Americans) who and what and for what reason such events occur and things happen in the Middle East?

We somehow get involved or sucked into all this stuff in Syria, Libya, and Egypt, etc for no good reason that I’m aware of.

About the only thing for certain that we can count on, is that average Americans will pay and some will die and others will get only the bills in return. Will it make the USA a better place? I only wish that all of our elected politicians were required to have their spouse or children or other relatives serving in combat roles.

[xzins]

The MFO was the force that was placed between the Israelis and the Egyptians to prevent any more sneak attacks such as the Yom Kippur War.

In Ronald Reagan’s 2nd term, approximately December 1985, near Christmas, a large portion of the MFO Battalion from the 101st Airborne, on its way home after its 6 month tour of duty in the Sinai, was killed when its plane went down at Gander, Newfoundland.

President Reagan went to Ft Campbell, home of the Screaming Eagles, and personally comforted grieving widows and friends. I remember tears streaming down my face as our president spoke in one of the hangars at Campbell Army Airfield. By sheer coincidence, I was assigned a few months later to Ft Campbell. The loss of those soldiers was still a wound on that installation.

I’m sure it is for the families involved even today.

[And2TheRepublic]

I was deployed there in 2006. We were an Infantry battalion.

[Ron 275]

3/60th Inf from Ft.Lewis replaced the 101st. First wave from Lewis flew commerical charter. That is what the 101st. was coming back on. I was second wave flew mil. transport.Walked across the street from the 2nd 75th to go with the 3/60th, in 85.