Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is leading a push to withdraw troops from an international peacekeeping force the U.S. heads in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where Egyptian security forces are battling Islamic State militants on Israel’s doorstep, according to current and former U.S. officials. The plan, which officials say faces opposition from the State Department and Israel, could hobble the peacekeeping mission at a time when Islamic State’s insurgency in the area is flaring again. A series of deadly attacks have targeted Egyptian...

Source: Wall Street Journal May 07, 2020 16:07 UTC