| The pieces move into place ... |
[AlAhram] The Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Thursday that American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has passed through Egypt's Suez Canal; the White House said earlier this week that the deployment is in response to troubling "indications and warnings" from Iran.
The movement of the warship was observed by US Major General Ralph Groover, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the US embassy in Cairo, "who came specially to check up on the safe passage" of the US carrier, the cabinet said.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the move aimed to send a "clear and unmistakable message" that the US will retaliate with "unrelenting force" to any attack.
Groover met with Mohab Mamish, head of the Suez Canal Authority, and praised Egypt's "efficient security procedures" to ensure the safe passage of ships through the canal, the cabinet's statement quoted him as saying.
The deployment of the carrier comes amid claims of a possible attack on US forces stationed in the region, unnamed US officials were quoted as saying. |