Saturday, July 5, 2008 - 13:30
AFP News Briefs ListEgypt finds weapons caches in Sinai
Egyptian authorities have found weapons and explosives in the Sinai desert they believe were destined for the Gaza Strip, a security official said Saturday.
"Security forces found eight plastic bags containing 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of TNT explosives in a warehouse near the town of El-Arish," the official said.
"We believe the explosives were headed for the Gaza Strip."
The official said that nine automatic weapons were also found in another warehouse in central Sinai after a tip-off from Bedouins.
Israel and the United States have repeatedly accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop arms smuggling into the neighbouring Gaza Strip, which has been under the control of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for the past year.
Cairo has strongly denied the charges.
Under an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire deal for Gaza that came into effect last month, Israel insists that Cairo do its utmost to halt weapons smuggling from the Sinai peninsula into the Palestinian territory.
Images
A smuggler tunnel that leads under the border between the southern Gaza strip and Egypt. Egyptian authorities have found weapons and explosives in the Sinai desert they believe were destined for the Gaza Strip.
© 2007 AFP Mehdi Lebouachera
