Tag Archives: Egypt

U.S. Conditions IS Libya Fight on Unity Government

February 2, 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry met with officials from 23 nations in Rome to discuss combating IS. Secretary Kerry addressed his growing concerns of the Islamic State’s (IS) presence in Libya especially. The growing fear is that the terrorist organization will take advantage of the lack of stability to control oil fields to further finance its operations.

Libya has been in turmoil since the NATO-backed ousting of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011. The Libyan government is currently split between an internationally recognized government in Tobruk, the General National Congress (GNC), and an unofficial government in Tripoli led by the Islamist Libya Dawn faction. Libya Dawn was able to force the GNC out of the Tripoli in 2014, and the international community has been working ever since to unite the two governments.

Libya Dawn and the GNC signed a UN-brokered agreement to unify the government last December. However, it is unclear what Libya Dawn hopes to get out of the agreement, as it was their decision to attempt to seize power following election losses that led to the current fissure.

While the Libya Dawn government may claim they want to end hostilities and unite the government, it’s likely just a play to regain power.

Libya Dawn is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the enemy of the El-Sisi government in Egypt. This had led to the decision by Cairo to fully back the GNC and openly opposed any agreement that would return the Islamists to legitimate political power. Egypt has been the driving force behind Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s anti-Islamist “Operation Dignity” campaign which has seen battlefield gains against the Islamist factions.

IS has become a growing concern to North African nations. The Free Fire Blog recently discussed the growing connections between the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and IS’s growing trade network with Hamas in Gaza. In Libya, IS has taken control of Sirte, a city that links east and west of Libya, and has launched numerous attacks around the country.

International Business Times reported last year of IS threatening to wage war on Libya Dawn, but those hostilities may subside while both sides are being targeted by Egyptian and UAE airstrikes.

Breitbart News reports on troubling news of possible cooperation  between IS, Al Qaeda (AQ), and the Muslim Brotherhood within Libya. This merger would threaten any chance Libya has at stability, and if the Brotherhood were to take over, it would further threaten the neighboring government of Egypt.

Libya’s hopes for stability are quickly fading, and the Obama Administration may be apart of the blame. The Obama Administration allowed for weapon shipments to be sent to armed rebel groups during the uprising against Qaddafi. Some of these weapons fell in the hands of jihadist groups which allowed them to fight for control of Libya once Qaddafi was killed.

While the U.S. initially armed rebel groups, it has taken a step back from Libya. Instead, the Obama Administration has harshly criticized those who take part in Libya’s issues through violence, especially the UAE and Egypt. It seems ironic for the Administration to criticize others for trying to stop terrorism when they were the ones who facilitated it.

Libya’s stability is crucial against the fight against terrorism. Terrorists have been smuggling fighters through Libya to Europe and Syria. Libya is also an important connector between Islamic State’s home base in Syria and it’s efforts in West Africa. Without a stable government to prevent this, it will continue to threaten the stability of the region.

While Secretary Kerry may be worried about IS in Libya, there must be a greater focus on the wider Islamist threat to the country. The Muslim Brotherhood poses just as large a threat to Libyan stability as IS, and if they are given any political legitimacy it will only serve to expand jihadist activity in the country. Despite the Obama Administration’s insistence to the contrary, a GNC victory over Libyan Dawn would have a better impact on security than enforcing upon Libya a unity government that neither side really wants.

Recent Bombing Illustrates Growing Network of Muslim Brotherhood

Thursday evening, 7 policemen and 3 civilians were killed in an explosion after Giza police forces unsuccessfully defused a bomb. Police forces were raiding an apartment that had been reportedly housing terrorists associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The explosion also injured another 13 people.

While security forces stated they were searching for Muslim Brotherhood members, two separate Islamic terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility for the bombing, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM) and Revolutionary Punishment. ABM has aligned itself with the Islamic State (IS) and now identifies as the Islamic State in the Sinai (ISS).

As mentioned in an earlier blog, ISS has been a major enemy of the el-Sisi government since he ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power in Egypt. ISS has also been trading missile materials to Hamas, the branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine that currently rules Gaza. The Muslim Brotherhood and ABM share a common goal of destabilizing the el-Sisi government.

The organization Revolutionary Punishment is relatively new to the scene, established in 2015, but Egyptian security forces believe that they are members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group is comprised primarily of young members who have continued attacks on police and security forces around the country.

Both ISS and Revolutionary Punishment provide cover for the Muslim Brotherhood to take advantage of violence targeting the Egyptian government without having to appear responsible. When its members are blamed for acts of terror the Muslim Brotherhood deflects blame onto one of those other groups.

Ahram Online, an Egyptian news outlet, reported that Egyptian security forces have raided a number of apartments in recent weeks to arrest suspected Muslim Brotherhood followers. Most of the raids have ended with gunfire that has left the suspect dead.

The Muslim Brotherhood has incited numerous terrorist attacks in Egypt for years, yet many in the United States government would call them moderates. The White House has said they see no sign that the group has renounced its “commitment” to non-violence even after they were declared a terrorist organization by Egypt in 2013.

Outside of Egypt, Israel has even banned the Muslim Brotherhood for inciting violence and attempting to establish a caliphate. Israel not only has to battle with the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, MB’s branch in Israel, but also MB’s branch in Gaza, Hamas.

The Muslim Brotherhood has shown few signs of committing to non-violence. After Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was removed from power by General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, the organization has been committed to attacking government forces to remove el-Sisi.

13 Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested and executed this past July, and the Brotherhood has been increasingly unruly since. The Muslim Brotherhood claims the killing of the suspected terrorists was unjustified, and has since called for uprisings in the country to dispose of el-Sisi. Just days after the 13 members were put to death, Muslim Brotherhood supporters and Egyptian security forces exchanged fire in Cairo. The skirmish left 5 dead. The fighting did not end there, however. On January 7, 2016 Muslim Brotherhood supporters and Egyptian security forces again clashed outside a hotel. No one was killed or injured, but this incident again proves how uneasy the situation in Egypt is currently.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a well-established history of using violence when it believes it will be beneficial, and deniable. In 1954, one of their most notorious attacks, the Muslim Brotherhood attempted to assassinate then President Gamal Abdel Nasser and a Brotherhood “offshoot” successfully assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981. In 1979, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood was responsible for killing 83 cadets at a Syrian Artillery Academy in Aleppo, Syria. Then in 2002 it was suspected the Muslim Brotherhood participated in a truck bombing in Grozny that killed 40 and wounded another 152.

Recently, Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood analyst Eric Trager reported that Muslim Brotherhood leader Shmed Al-Mogheer called abandoning terrorism “a mistake” and called for a return to terror.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry has been preparing for the January 25th celebrations, and possible protests formed by the Muslim Brotherhood. With their current anger from the killing of the 13 supporters coupled with ties to ISS and the Revolutionary Punishment, it is not surprising Egyptian security forces would increase security for the 25th.

Aid Between IS and Hamas Threatens Israeli and Egyptian Governments

There are reports that the terrorist organization Hamas has been working along side Islamic State in the Sinai (ISS) to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip, according to a report issued by the Washington Institute on Near East Policy.

Hamas has reportedly sent tens of thousands of dollars to ISS, in exchange for materials to develop missiles.

ISS is able to smuggle the materials through tunnels that connect Egypt with Gaza. Egyptian authorities have been trying to close the tunnels for some time, but have been unable to hinder any considerable smuggling.

Hamas is a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in 1987, the organization’s primary goal is to bring about the destruction of Israel. To better increase its ability to combat the Israelis, Hamas established itself as one of the major political parties in the Palestinian territories, and since 2007 it has been dominated politics in the region.

ISS, also known as Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province), pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) just over a year ago, and most recently claimed responsibility for the Russian plane bombing this past November.

Before joining Islamic State, the group went by the name Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM). ABM was established after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and soon became a major problem for government forces. The organization’s goal early on was to wage war of the Israelis. Their efforts were soon directed at President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his government forces after they ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. ABM soon became one of the El-Sisi government’s primary enemies after an attempted assassination against the minister of the interior and several attacks against security forces.

Breitbart News mentions some would view the ISS and Hamas relationship with some skepticism. It can be difficult to understand how Hamas would support IS when a major source of their funding comes from Iran since IS and Iran have engaged one another in Syria. However, both Hamas and ISS are willing to look past that relationship if it benefits their own goals.

Aside from sending thousands of dollars to ISS, Hamas has also reportedly aided terror attacks carried out by ISS in Egypt. In October of 2014, Egyptian intelligence reported the suicide bombing that killed 33 Egyptian civilians may have been carried out jointly by ISS and Hamas.

The suicide bombing was not the only time Hamas had aided acts of terror against Egypt. In August of 2012, Hamas was reportedly involved in a shooting that killed 16 government soldiers inside their base in Rafah. The following December, ABM launched an attack in Mansura which killed another 16 people. Egyptian ministry officials claimed Hamas had aided ABM by providing logistical support, although Hamas was quick to deny these claims by stating they were apart of President El-Sisi’s warfare against the Muslim Brotherhood.

While Hamas is willing to tolerate IS’s allegiances and actions outside of Gaza, it does not approve of any IS attempts to gain a hold within the strip. In May and June of 2015 Hamas launched a massive crackdown of IS supporters after the organization began to push into the region. The crackdown killed one IS supporter even after Hamas issued a 48-hour ultimatum for IS to leave the region. As previously mentioned, Hamas has complete control over the area, and it needs support in order to wage war against the IDF.

The relationship between ISS and Hamas properly illustrates relationships between terrorist organizations. While both groups have a shared ideology and end goals, Hamas is unwilling to allow Islamic State to encroach upon its preeminent position as the primary Palestinian jihadist organization, or to threaten its control of territory in Gaza. But this does not preclude trade and cooperation, particularly as long as the two have a shared desire to see the Egyptian government destabilized.

Islamic State Egyptian affiliate stays busy, claims hotel bombing

Following up on the October 31st Russian Metrojet bombing, Wilayat Sinai, the Islamic State’s “province” in Egypt, is now claiming responsibility for an attack yesterday on a hotel in coastal al-Arish that killed 5 people, including 2 policemen and a judge.  The guests included judges that were slated to oversee the parliamentary elections currently taking place.

Wilayat Sinai’s claim posted on social media said the coordinated attack, in which a suicide bomber drove a truck laden with explosives to the hotel’s security checkpoint and was followed by another suicide bomber who entered the hotel’s restaurant, was in response to the Egyptian army’s alleged mistreatment of Muslim women at checkpoints throughout the Sinai.

Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi has vowed his administration will operate with a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, and so far the security services have responded by arresting and imprisoning terrorist cell members throughout the country, along with foiling bombing plots.

Aside from the high-profile Russian jet bombing, Wilayat Sinai has engaged the Egyptian military both on land and sea, carried out kidnappings of western tourists, and launched rockets at Israel.

In spite of the violence, the elections proceeded and the pro-Sisi For the Love of Egypt secular party coalition obtained a majority in parliament, with the northern Sinai reporting the highest turnout level among the electorate.  The Muslim Brotherhood is banned from participating, while the Salafi Nour party gained only eight seats, down from its high of 122 seats in the 2012 election.

Wilayat Sinai remains highly active across the peninsula, with an arsenal of advanced weapons obtained from Libya, Gaza, and other sources including MANPADs, as well as carrying out beheadings, with IS-style iconography.

Muslim Brotherhood bill in Congress, Islamic finance, Russian plane crash, China-Taiwan summit, Iran-Russia strategy in Syria…

Congress introduces bill to label Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization

After American allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, the question remains why the United States has not done so.  Yesterday, Senator Ted Cruz (R- TX) and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R- FL) introduced legislation that would compel the State Dept. to report to Congress on the feasibility of designating the MB as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which has been done for the Brotherhood’s affiliate Hamas.

The bill cites specific cases of the Brotherhood’s illegal activities in the US, including the Holy Land Foundation trial, which is the largest terrorism finance case tried in the US. The bill also references the Soliman Biheiri case, who operated the Islamic investment firm Baitul Mal in New Jersey which, “According to Federal prosecutors, the shareholders of Baitul Mal included al-Qaeda financier Yassin al-Qadi and top Hamas leader Mousa abu Marzook, both of whom are specially designated global terrorists.” The bill also cites violent attacks carried out by the Brotherhood in Egypt, including the targeting of Coptic Christians.

The Brotherhood’s history of supporting terrorism is well-documented.  Its various projects in the United States include front groups, political advocacy, judicial doctrine, and infiltration at the highest levels of government.  A previous bill that sought the FTO designation failed last year.

Islamic financing method growing in Africa

The African continent, long under served by traditional western banking due in part to weak state governance, is proving fertile ground for the expansion of the Islamic finance.  Attractive in part due to its no-interest clause, the shariah-compliant finance mechanism is promoted as an alternative suitable for countries and regions that are dominated by cash transactions and wary of traditional banks following the 2008 financial crisis. While large Islamic banks based in Dubai and other locales throughout the Muslim world have been established for decades, the potential for illegal activity is high with Islamic finance, as had been noted in the past.  Furthermore, the predominance of cash in under-served regions of Africa is a perfect conduit for the hawala system, which has also been exploited by terrorist organizations.

Russian plane crash mystery offers new clues

The investigation to determine the cause of the Metrojet crash in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula continues, with the ‘black box’ and voice data recorders now being analyzed.  Competing theories have emerged, ranging from the Islamic State’s Wilayat Sinai claiming responsibility via a bomb to mechanical failure to pilot error to an engine malfunction. Metrojet was quick to say it was caused by external factors, perhaps in a bid to undermine incompetence and lax maintenance charges by some victims’ families.

US military officials who have analyzed satellite imagery now say there is a flash to be seen moments before the mid-air explosion, which they say may have been caused by a fuel tank fire or bomb.  After their claim of responsibility was dismissed as ‘laughable’ by aviation experts, Wilayat Sinai continues to taunt investigators, insisting that they downed the plane and challenging them to prove otherwise.

China and Taiwan holding summit; first meeting between two leaders

China and Taiwan will be holding the first summit since the Chinese Civil War. President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan and China’s Xi Jinping will be discussing relations over the Taiwan Straits, in which China claims sovereignty and views the island as a “breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland.” The meeting, however, has been condemned by Taiwan’s opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party.

Ying-jeou, who has made improving relations with China one of his priorities as president, will be stepping down in January. It is predicted that the pro-China Kuomintang will likely lose to the DPP, which promotes Taiwan declaring independence.

It is likely that this conflict will result in worsening relations between the United States and China, as the US is committed to Taiwan’s defense.

Conflict of interest between Russian and Iran over Assad, according to head of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow has suggested that there is a discrepancy between Iran and Russia, which are both allies of Syria, regarding Assad’s political future. According to IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari: “Tehran may be more committed to him than Moscow was.” A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has essentially confirmed this statement, claiming that Assad’s position “is not a red-line issue” for Russia, and “we are not saying that Assad should leave or stay.”

One of the main reasons why Iran remains allied with Syria is because Syria offers a direct route for Iran to reach the territory of its key ally, Hezbollah. In turn, Russia appears to be less invested in Syria, seemingly having a larger end game of negotiating with the West.

Although it may appear to be a harmful diplomatic divergence, it is unlikely to affect military strategy, as both countries have a common interest: preserving the Syrian government. Ultimately, it is the Iranian forces on the ground along with Hezbollah, the Syrian army, pro-Assad militias, and Russia’s air support that is helping to maintain Assad in power.

Other stories we’re following:

Russia and US fighter jets communicating over Syria

Syrian army takes Aleppo road supply line from IS

Kurdish Peshmerga forces low on supplies for winter fighting

4 police officers killed in bombing claimed by Wilayat Sinai

Erdogan: parliament should rush to amend constitution, grant more powers to president

Iran celebrates 36th anniversary of embassy takeover, protesters denounce thaw in relations

Ugandan opposition nominates candidate for President

Burundi president Nkurunziza offers amnesty to rebels

Dozens killed as Russian-built cargo plane crashes in South Sudan

Maldives president declares state of emergency; planned anti-government rally

ASEAN summit ends in disagreement over South China Sea

Saudi Talks with Hamas Point to Improving Relationship

Last week, Saudi King Salman held talks with Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, and other top Hamas officials. The Saudi monarchy has not officially acknowledged talks with Hamas for four years, though the two have maintained informal contact. The meeting demonstrates that the rapport between the two sides is improving after years of strained relations.

Hamas formed in 1987 as the Palestinian arm of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood. Though Saudi Arabia and the Brotherhood had a good relationship throughout much of the mid- and late-twentieth century, the relationship devolved during the First Gulf War. The Brotherhood opposed the Saudi government’s allowance of American presence in the country and support for the US in the war. Though their relationship improved throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, it deteriorated again during the Arab Spring in 2011. The Saudi branch of the Brotherhood voiced its support for the Egyptian uprising that put Mohamed Morsi in power, and the government worried the branch would attempt its own political revolution.

Last year, the country designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. This caused concern amongst Hamas leadership because the designation was applied to the Brotherhood’s affiliates and front organizations, and much of the charity money and financial support that the group receives comes from Saudi Arabia. However, Salman, who became King in January, has been much more open to talks with the Brotherhood than his predecessor, and this likely led to last week’s meeting with Meshaal. The Saudi government recently stated that despite meeting with Meshaal, the official view  of the Saudi kingdom toward Hamas remained unchanged.

Saudi concerns with Hamas extend beyond its involvement in the Global Muslim Brotherhood. Iran, Saudi Arabia’s foremost regional competitor, is traditionally one of Hamas’ major funders. Hamas and Iran had a falling-out over the group’s refusal to support the Iranian-backed Assad regime in Syria when the Syrian uprising began in 2011, but relations started to improve again last year. Though Iran cut funding to Hamas in retaliation for supporting Syrian rebels against Assad in 2013, it reportedly transferred tens of millions of dollars to the group this year to help rebuild its tunnel network that was damaged in its 2014 war with Israel.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni nation, is currently fighting a sectarian-based proxy war in Yemen against Shia Iran. A major motivating factor behind reopening talks with Sunni Hamas is the possibility of creating sectarian tension between the organization and Iran with the intention of weakening Iran’s regional influence. Earlier this month, the Iranian news agency Fars reported that Saudi Arabia asked Hamas to send 700 fighters to Yemen to assist the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, who officially seized power from Yemen’s Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in February. Meshaal rejected these claims, saying that they were unfounded; however, Hamas does formally support President Hadi. As Iran already cut ties with the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad over its reluctance to support Iran and the Houthis in Yemen, an improving relationship between Hamas and Saudi Arabia could lead to another falling-out with Iran.

Saudi Arabia has also been a major contributor to the US-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State, which has established the Sinai Province affiliate in the North Sinai region of Egypt. Sinai Province is reportedly collaborating with Hamas in attacks on the anti-Brotherhood government of Egyptian President Al-Sisi, even while Hamas has been suppressing Islamic State activities in the Gaza Strip itself. Saudi Arabia may be trying to gain the support and loyalty of Hamas to ensure that the group stops aiding attacks on Egypt. If Saudi Arabia is able to do so, its already strong relationship with Egypt would continue to improve. As Saudi Arabia is currently worried about Iran and its sponsorship of Shia activity in Egypt, this would give it more influence in Egypt while additionally damaging Iran’s growing regional influence.

Hamas also stands to gain significantly from better relations with Saudi Arabia. Since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rose to power in a 2013 military coup, he has continuously promised to crack down on Islamist militancy. Egyptian troops destroyed many of the smuggling tunnels Hamas built between Gaza and and Egypt in 2013, and the group was officially banned from operating within Egypt’s borders in 2014. Saudi Arabia has been a strong backer and ally of Sisi, supporting his 2013 coup and giving billions of dollars in aid, so Hamas may try to leverage an improved relationship with Saudi Arabia to stop Egyptian suppression.

Importantly, Hamas is trying to maintain positive relationships with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. It will take money from any country that offers it, and it is clearly trying to walk a fine line between openly supporting either side, evidenced by its voiced support for Yemen’s president but refusal to assist in the fighting. Like Saudi Arabia, it is Sunni, but it has a history of receiving support from Iran and so is likely to continue courting both countries.

Unfortunately, Saudi involvement with Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Israel, Canada, and Japan, is just as bad as Iranian involvement. Hamas’ charter calls for the destruction of Israel, and it has fought almost continuously with Israel since its inception.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have never established formal diplomatic relations, but they revealed in June that they have been holding secret meetings to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, which both countries vehemently oppose. Increased Saudi support for Hamas may be detrimental to this budding Saudi relationship with Israel: Israel already has few allies in the Middle East and poor relationships with Hamas’ usual backers, Iran, Qatar and Turkey. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia’s sphere of influence in the region is retracting, and it is growing estranged from its historical alliance with the US.

Closer ties between Saudi Arabia and Hamas could alienate Israel. However, Israel may decide that the threat of a nuclear Iran outweighs its irritation at Saudi Arabia for supporting for Hamas.

Islamic State Hits Egyptian Naval Ship with Missile

On July 16, the Islamic State affiliate in Egypt, Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province), fired a rocket or guided missile at an Egyptian naval vessel, causing the ship to catch on fire. The group, formerly known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. It boasted that it had destroyed the boat, which was located in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Israel and Gaza.

Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, a spokesman for the Egyptian military, said that the vessel caught fire after a firefight with “terrorists.” The shots came from near Rafah, a town in North Sinai on the border of Egypt and Gaza, and a Gazan fisherman identified the ship as a gunboat approximately one nautical mile offshore. Samir gave no indication as to how much damage the ship sustained but stated that no members of the crew were killed. Other security officials said that crew members were injured, and a number of men jumped overboard to escape the fire.

The attacks conducted by the Islamic State affiliate are typically shootings or bombings and its July 16 attack marked the first time the group has staged a rocket or missile attack on the navy. According to its Twitter statement, the Wilayat Sinai used a guided missile to hit the ship. Some military experts have noted that photos of the attack suggest it may be a Russian-made Kornet Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), which is an anti-tank weapon which has seen use by Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria. In November, 2014, Sinai-based jihadists believed to belong to Wilayat Sinai targeted an Egyptian naval vessel North of the port of Damietta, launching an assault from multiple fishing boats and killing several Egyptian sailors.

Wilayat Sinai has been targeting the Egyptian military since the 2013 military coup that removed President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood from power.

The July 16 attack came one day after the Egyptian military said it killed a militant trying to drive a car laden with 1,100 pounds of explosives into a military checkpoint on a highway linking Cairo to the Red Sea. Wilayat Sinai took responsibility for the attack on Twitter. The group said that a suicide bomber killed himself and a number of soldiers, a claim which the military denies. On July 11, it bombed the Italian Consulate in Cairo.

Wilayat Sinai’s use of rockets in attacks is not brand new: less than two weeks ago, it fired three rockets into Israel. However, if its claims that it used a guided missile to attack the ship prove true, it could present an even bigger threat to Egypt and Israel than it already does. Guided missiles can be used to attack targets from a distance, and they can be used to destroy tanks. Questions must be raised as to how the group acquired such weaponry, as it could have either gotten them from Islamic State proper or from Hamas, with whom it is reportedly collaborating. Regardless of where it obtained the missiles, its possession of them poses a threat to Egypt and Israel. Both of these countries are US allies, and the US must back up Egyptian efforts to crush this dangerous insurgency.

Islamic State Claims Italian Consulate Bombing

At approximately 6:15am on July 11, a 450-kilogram car bomb laden exploded near the Italian Consulate in Cairo, Egypt. The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Twitter.

A street vendor was killed. Ten civilians were hurt, including a police officer and four children. None of the casualties were Italian. The main entrance to the building was destroyed, windows were broken, and pipes burst, leaving the building flooded. Due to the timing of the attack, which was early in the morning on a day when the Consulate is closed, the casualty count could have been significantly higher. Following the attack, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi about Rome’s support of Egypt’s counterterrorism efforts. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni is scheduled to meet with Sisi on July 13.

The IS affiliate in Egypt is known as Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province). The group, formerly known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem), was inspired by Al Qaeda but pledged allegiance to IS in November 2014. Though it is a part of IS, it reportedly also works with Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch, to facilitate attacks on Egyptian security forces.

The IS statement of responsibility did not give a reason as to why the group targeted the Italian Consulate, though an IS-linked Twitter account tweeted that Muslims should avoid areas like the Consulate because those are considered to be “legitimate targets.” The New York Times reported that the statement of responsibility came from “Islamic State, Egypt” rather than from “Sinai Province,” which Wilayat Sinai typically uses, raising questions as to the veracity of the claim.

Wilayat Sinai has a history of targeting foreigners. On February 18, 2014, the group warned all tourists in Egypt to leave the country by February 20, 2014 or they would risk getting attacked. The February 18 statement followed a bombing attack on a tourist bus two days prior that killed two South Korean tourists and the Egyptian bus driver. The threat caused travel agencies to advise travelers to stay inside their hotels and a decline in tourism numbers.

Wilayat Sinai has a history of targeting foreigners, an affiliation with IS, and has conducted numerous deadly attacks on Egyptian military targets in the Sinai Peninsula. The group is highly capable, but it chose to bomb the Italian Consulate at a time when very few people were there. Given these circumstances, the attack on the Italian Consulate on July 11 seems to serve as a similar warning to the February 2014 warning to tourists, a move that is not typical of IS but is standard with previous actions by this particular organization. It typically targets the Egyptian military and police but may be seeking to increase its attacks on foreigners, including governmental and tourist infrastructure, in the future.

Stand With Al-Sisi in Egypt

On Wednesday, Islamic State fighters launched a deadly military assault against Egyptian forces, simultaneously attacking some twenty different locations in a town close to Egypt’s Sinai border with Israel.

Skillfully employing suicide bombs, mortar fire, man-portable anti-aircraft missiles and infantry assaults, the jihadists killed at least 200 soldiers and civilians. This operation marks a major escalation in the war being waged by Islamic supremacists against Egypt’s government – and far worse is in prospect.

President Obama has, in the past, sided with the Islamists in Egypt. There is reason to believe he still does. That’s a formula for losing the Mideast’s most populous, strategically critical and American-armed nation. We cannot afford to let that happen and should strongly support the man trying to prevent it: Egyptian President al-Sisi.

The Islamic State-Muslim Brotherhood War on Egypt

The Sinai Peninsula region has been under bombardment this week. As previously discussed in the Free Fire Blog on Monday June 29, Egyptian Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat was killed as a result of a car bomb on his convoy in Cairo. Barakat was a member of the Egyptian Judiciary, which has made great strides and efforts to “defeat the Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorist violence”.

Yesterday, militants with the Wilayat Sinai (formerly named “Ansar Bait al-Maqdis”), the Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate, conducted a number of coordinated attacks on Egyptian military checkpoints in North Sinai. It was reported that more than 100 militants and 64 Egyptian soldiers were killed in the attacks. 13 soldiers were also wounded.

According to security sources, the militants were also targeting two towns in particular, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah. The militants had closed in around Sheikh Zuweid and placed bombs in and around the town. Egyptian forces were able to thwart the militants’ attempt of a siege there.

Reports out of Israel suggest a growing cooperation between Hamas-the Palestine branch of the Muslim Brotherhood- and the Islamic State.

According to Haaretz news, “Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip have been maintaining close ties with operatives of Wilayat Sinai, the radical jihadist group identified with ISIS”. This indicates that Hamas, the IS-affiliated Wilayat Sinai group in the Sinai Peninsula, and the Islamic State proper all work together at least on some scale, on some occasion. Granted, there is conflict, tension, and attacks between the three groups. But it must be acknowledged the jihadist groups are able to work together, when it works for them.

The cooperation between Hamas and the Islamic State is a reminder that while jihadist terror groups may have disagreements, they are also capable of cooperating to achieve shared goals.

Late yesterday, after security forces reportedly declared that the Northern Sinai situation was under control, Egyptian forces killed a number of Muslim Brotherhood members while attempting to affect an arrest. The exact details of this incident are yet to be confirmed. At this point in time, there seem to be three main versions of the story.

First, an Egyptian security official reported that 13 Muslim Brotherhood members were gathered in a flat in Cairo’s October 6 suburb. The security forces were presumably still searching for individuals responsible for or connected to the vicious attacks from earlier in the day, however there is no confirmed motive behind the officials’ entering of the building. Officials claim that then men inside the flat were armed, and fired on them. Then, as a result the Egyptian security returning fire, 13 Muslim Brothers were killed.

Second, the Interior Ministry (of Egypt) has reported slightly different facts. The Ministry has claimed that 9 Muslim Brotherhood members were killed, and that the leader Abdel Fattah Ibrahim “was leading a meeting…to discuss ‘plots’ to carry out ‘terrorist’ attacks. It is confirmed that Ibrahim was indeed one of the individuals killed in the confrontation. Reportedly, there was previous information that “indicated that this group has supported all recent ‘acts of violence and assassinations’”, which could also shed light on the initiative of police investigating the flat. Police claimed that they were shot at first, and the member deaths resulted from police’s returned fire.

The final version of this incident is reported from Muslim Brotherhood sources and spokesmen. Mohamed Montaser, one of the spokesmen, has said, “The leaders that were executed in the flat were in a meeting [discussing] supporting the orphans of martyrs. They were unarmed, and talk about them clashing with the security is a lie”. The Muslim Brotherhood has released a statement, holding Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi responsible for the “assassinations” of the “members of a legal, humanitarian, and psychological support committee”. The statement went on to further berate President Sisi, as well as issue continued threats against the Egyptian government.

The overthrow in 2013 of previous Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (a prominent actor in the Muslim Brotherhood group) by current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has resulted in the rise of violent actions and threats against the Cairo government. These sentiments stem primarily from the Muslim Brotherhood, who have “called for an ‘uncompromising jihad’ against the Egyptian government”.

While many media outlets have ignored the significant role played by the Muslim Brotherhood in the backing of terrorism, it’s important for U.S. security to back the Egyptian effort against the Brotherhood, as Michael Rubin, an expert analyst on the Middle East noted yesterday:

“As broader violence erupts between Sisi on one hand and the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic State proxies on the other, it’s crucial to back the former and a definitive U.S. interest to seek the defeat of the latter”.

It would be wise to take Mr. Rubin’s advice.