The US Army Corps of Engineers has been helping the Egyptian government detect tunnels used to move weapons and other contraband into Gaza, the Pentagon said Thursday.
A small number of US civilians with the Corps have been providing technical advice to the Egyptians over a period of months, said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.
"There has been a concerted effort for some time by the Egyptians to go after some of these tunnels -- detect them, block them, eliminate them -- and I think the Army Corps of Engineers has provided some technical advice on how to do so," Morrell said.
The Army Corps of Engineers role was providing "strictly technical advice," he said.
Morrell said no US civilians were working near the border with Gaza currently because of the violence arising from an Israeli ground offensive.
Border tunnels were targeted by Israeli aircraft from the outset of the conflict.
The Pentagon press secretary said they were suspected of being used to smuggle in rockets that Hamas has used to attack Israel.
