Senior Israeli defense officials told Haaretz that Egypt’s campaign in Sinai, which began after the Egyptian military ousted the Muslim Brotherhood government in early July, started off as a pinpoint operation, but has now morphed into routine, long-term counter-terrorism activity. But the Egyptians are continuing to take a hard line against the terrorist organizations, the officials said, and whenever they discover one of these group’s bases, they bulldoze or torch the facilities.
This week, three terrorists were killed in clashes with Egyptian security forces in Sinai. Units from Egypt’s Second Army, which operate in northern Sinai, are considered more aggressive than those of the Third Army, which operate in the southern part of the peninsula. Israeli officials said their impression is that Cairo’s military rulers intend to continue the campaign for at least the next several months.
Nevertheless, the terrorist organizations – whose members are drawn mainly from Sinai’s Bedouin population, but also include other Egyptian and foreign operatives – are managing to hit back hard at the Egyptian security forces. Their principal methods are shooting attacks, suicide bombings and car bombs, deployed against both army bases and convoys. They apparently prefer to focus on so-called “quality attacks” – meaning attacks that are less frequent but more deadly, causing a relatively high number of casualties – instead of carrying out a higher volume of smaller, less effective attacks.
Dozens of terrorist groups that draw their inspiration from Osama bin Laden are currently operating in Sinai. A significant number of them are united in a loose organizational front that calls itself Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (“Supporters of Jerusalem”). A separate coalition known as Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis (“Outskirts of Jerusalem”) has a similar ideology, but is centered in the Gaza Strip and comprised primarily of Palestinians. Aknaf aims most of its Sinai-based activity at Israel, and Gaza’s Hamas-run government generally turns a blind eye to it.
Though there is some coordination between these two coalitions, the Egyptian security forces are focusing mainly on organizations that belong to the Ansar front. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded bin Laden as head of Al-Qaida, has given Ansar his blessing.
The generals now running Egypt attach fairly high priority to the operation in Sinai. Earlier this month, Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, Egypt’s de facto ruler, visited the peninsula to watch an exercise conducted by units of the Second Army. He also met with leaders of the local Bedouin tribes and warned them not to let their young men join terrorist organizations affiliated with radical Islam.
Cairo also continues to exert pressure on Gaza’s Hamas government, accusing both it and other Palestinian groups in the Strip, such as Islamic Jihad, of involvement in terrorist activity in Sinai.
The Egyptians have repeatedly arrested terrorists in Sinai who underwent training at bases in Gaza. They have also seized arms, including mortar bombs, that they claim were manufactured in Gaza. Cairo has exploited these occasions to bolster its deterrence against Palestinian terror groups in Gaza and to warn them that it will intensify its already harsh crackdown on the Strip if they continue supporting terrorist groups in Sinai.
Israel’s defense establishment has been favorably impressed by the Egyptians’ efforts to stop the smuggling from Sinai to Gaza via the tunnels under Rafah. Egyptian forces have flooded, blown up or otherwise destroyed hundreds of tunnels.
Nevertheless, it seems that a comparatively small number of tunnels are still operating. These tunnels are being used to smuggle both consumer goods and arms into Gaza, including components used in manufacturing the medium-range rockets held by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israeli officials say Egypt has deliberately turned a blind eye to these tunnels in order to leave open a lifeline for the supply of sought-after goods beyond what is brought into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
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Haaretz
Photo: Egyptian Army soldiers on operational duty in northern Sinai. Photo by AP