U.S. MRAPs arrive in Egypt

CAIRO, May 12 (UPI) -- The first shipment of U.S. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles arrived in Egypt Thursday.

The 762 armored vehicles were provided to the Egyptian military at no cost as part of the Pentagon's Excess Defense Articles program, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

Originally manufactured to protect U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from roadside bombs, the vehicles will now be used to combat terrorism in the region, the embassy said.

The MRAP delivery constitutes the latest step involving military cooperation between the two countries, according to the embassy.