Islamic State pledge in Sinai raises stakes for Egypt
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis’ decision to declare allegiance to the Islamic State undercuts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s efforts to reassure the Egyptian public that his government is winning the war on terror in the Sinai Peninsula.
SHEIKH ZUWEID, Egypt — Instability in the Sinai Peninsula turned into a more dangerous situation after the terrorist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) on Nov. 10.
Although Al-Monitor has previously reported on the link between the two groups, this official pledge creates challenges for the Egyptian government, which has periodically been declaring its progress in eradicating terrorism in Sinai.
A Sinai tribal sheikh close to the armed forces intelligence services in al-Arish, the largest city in North Sinai, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that one of the main challenges currently faced by the government, and one that is preoccupying the president personally, is that thousands of Egyptians are losing faith in the information regularly published by the army on the progress of the war on terrorism in Sinai.
“This problem got worse after Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis posted a video showing the group attacking the military base of Karam al-Kawadis on Oct. 24, south of Sheikh Zuweid, which claimed the lives of 32 Egyptian army members and wounded about a dozen others,” the sheikh said.
