Egypt to receive Apache helicopters

WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Egypt will receive 10 Apache helicopters from the United States, a delivery stalled since the military-led overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Pentagon spokesman said the helicopters will be sent to help suppress a wave of anti-government Islamic militancy in the Sinai Desert, and should not be regarded as a U.S. blessing of Egypt’s political process. Egyptian military officials have contended in private the denial of the helicopters appeared to be the United States’ siding with the government’s opponents.

Apache helicopters are twin-engine attack aircraft, typically equipped with machine guns and rocket launchers, manufactured by Boeing Corporation.

“We are not yet able to certify that Egypt is taking steps to support a democratic transition,” John Kirby of the U.S. Department of Defense said.

However, the United States is in the process of certifying Egypt's compliance with its U.S.-brokered 1979 peace treaty with Israel. This move allows U.S. military aid to be delivered regardless of the Egyptian government's lack of democratic credentials.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki made an appeal for democracy, saying “Egypt will be more secure and prosperous if it respects the universal rights of its citizens.”