Last update - 00:00 12/09/2006
Egyptian forces discover weapons cache en route to Gaza
By The Associated Press
RAFAH - Egyptian security forces on Tuesday discovered a weapon cache that police said was on its way to being smuggled into the Gaza Strip through an underground tunnel.
The weapons included 32 automatic rifles, 28 pistols, large amounts of ammunition and some explosives, said Capt. Mahmoud Ali of the North Sinai police.
Acting on intelligence information, security forces were keeping a close eye on the border for possible arms smuggling, Ali said. The weapons were found near a tunnel in the border town of Rafah.
No one was arrested in the operation, he said.
Smuggling of weapons between Egypt and Gaza are not uncommon. Since Israel pulled out of Gaza last summer, turning control of the border over to Egypt and the Palestinians, the Israel Defense Forces has said that cross-border smuggling of weapons and explosives has increased considerably.