Official: Egypt Pulls more Tanks out of Sinai

An Egyptian security official said Monday some 20 tanks have been withdrawn from the Sinai Peninsula after a month-long deployment in an anti-terrorism military offensive.

The tank deployment earlier this month brought complaints from Israel as the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries restricts heavy weapons in the peninsula, which borders the Jewish state.

The official said that the pullout was primarily in response to Israeli concerns. He did not say how many tanks remained in the area.

On Saturday, Egypt's military vowed to keep up operations triggered by an Aug. 5 militant attack that killed 16 soldiers.

However, Sinai's radical Islamists said that the government delegated former jihadists to negotiate a deal to stop violence.