Egypt: a New Strategy Against Terrorism

• 02.02.2015, 12:25
•  Near East,  World

Last week again there were terrorist attacks in Egypt. As a result of the attack in northern Sinai Peninsula 30 people were killed and dozens of people were left injured. The terrorist grouping "Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis", which is considered to be a branch of the "Islamic State", has undertaken the responsibility of the terrorist attack. It has declared that this is revenge from the supporters of Mohamed Morsi for persecuting them.

The Egyptian authorities responded very radically to these terrorist attacks. The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi interrupted his participation in the African Summit and returned to Cairo, where on January 31 he held an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in Cairo, as a result of which about the creation of a new military entity was declared which would combat terrorism in Sinai.

As the BBC reports, the President of Egypt thinks that the fight against terrorism in Sinai would be very difficult, however, at last, they should overcome it and "Sinai will forever become Egyptian." "We know who helps the terrorists in Sinai and we will make them pay for whatever they have done," – said Sisi. As the Middle East Institute mentions, the Egyptian authorities think that the attack on Sinai was implemented with the help of foreign special agencies, as its organization level significantly exceeded the capabilities of "Vilayet Sinai" terrorist grouping. 

Egypt has also banned the operation of the military branch of the Palestinian HAMAS movement in the country, including it in the list of the terrorist groupings. This grouping is accused of the terrorist attack in the Sinai Peninsula in October 2014, in the result of which 33 security forces were killed. The HAMAS leadership criticized this decision of the Egyptian authorities. "This is a political and a dangerous decision, which only serves to the interests of the Zionists," – declared the press secretary of the grouping. 

Currently the Egyptian army is expanding the scale of the anti-terrorist operations in the northern Sinai. "Muslim Brotherhood" Islamic organization, which is banned in Egypt, has called all the foreigners in the country including the tourists to leave Egypt by February 11 otherwise threatening with a new wave of terror.