Egypt parliament approves extension of troop deployment abroad

Egypt’s parliament approved Sunday the National Defence Council decision to extend the deployment of the country’s Armed Forces units in the Gulf area, the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab strait for an additional year, or until the end of their mission.

The decision, which was approved by 415 MPs, was first agreed upon by the National Defence Council at a meeting headed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last week.

The meeting was attended by the ministers of defence, finance and interior, as well as the parliament speaker, the prime minister, and the Armed Forces chief of staff and branch commanders.

According to Article 152 of Egypt’s 2014 constitution, the president, who is also the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, cannot declare war or send troops for combat outside state territory except after consultation with the National Defence Council and a two-thirds majority approval of parliament.

Egyptian naval and air force troops have been participating in the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi fighters since March 2015.

source: Ahram online