Six Americans among eight dead as peacekeeping helicopter crashes in Egypt - Middle Eas... - 0 views
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At least eight people were killed, including six Americans, when a helicopter carrying members of an international peacekeeping force in Egypt crashed near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday.
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The U.S., France and Czech Republic are among 13 countries that provide military personnel to MFO, which since the early 1980s has monitored the Israeli-Egyptian peace accord signed in 1979.
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The crash happened near the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh during a routine mission, MFO said in a statement. The organization’s Egypt headquarters and logistical hub, South Camp, is located on a bluff near the town, overlooking the sea.
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MFO, which is based in Rome, said all indications were that the crash was an accident. An investigation is being launched, it said.
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The U.S. Army provides about 450 troops to the MFO mission, including senior members of its leadership, the MFO website says. Known as Task Force Sinai and made up of active-duty, reserve and National Guard members, the American contingent is the largest of the force of around 1,150 troops.