Egypt denies military presence in Syria

Egypt on Sunday denied any military presence in Syrian territories as circulated by some Arab newspapers.

The Lebanese daily As-Safir newspaper said on Thursday that Egypt sent earlier in November an 18-member air force unit to assist the Syrian Army and two Egyptian military generals were carrying out aerial reconnaissance in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

"These claims only exist in the imagination of those promoting them," Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement, stressing that Egypt is committed to the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs.

The spokesman added that constitutional and legal measures need to be taken before sending any Egyptian soldier or equipment abroad, "and these measures are not done secretly without informing the Egyptian people".

The fighting in Syria has recently escalated in the war-torn city of Aleppo, killing dozens of people, as well as wounding and besieging many others.

Since erupting in March 2011, the Syrian crisis has claimed the lives of about 500,000 people and displaced over 10 million.

--IANS

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