EL-ARISH, Egypt — The terrorist organization Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (Wilayat Sinai) carried out two large attacks on April 2 and April 12 that resulted in heavy losses among the security forces. The attacks killed 35 members of the armed forces and the police — including officers and soldiers — in addition to eight civilians. They also wounded 100 members of the security forces and 40 civilians, as confirmed to Al-Monitor by a medical source. On the other hand, five of the terrorists who carried out the attacks were killed. This led to a state of controversy and bewilderment among the Egyptian people, as terrorist attacks are becoming more aggressive despite the positive statements released by the military regarding the elimination of terrorism.

A researcher on Sinai Peninsula affairs and armed groups, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said, “The bewilderment at the success of the terrorist attacks in Sinai is misplaced, because the army has not changed its plans. The latter are defensive and [involve] attempts to repel attacks and close holes, rather than being offensive plans to target and root out terrorism.”

He said, “The army forces in Sinai operate in a routine manner reminiscent of daily functional duty, without making any strategic or forward-looking changes to eradicate terrorism. When terrorists attack army bases with car bombs, the army closes the roads surrounding the bases. They think that by doing this it will stop attacks. Yet, the terrorists change their strategy and attack with improvised explosive devices, so the army turns to changing roads and moving randomly through irregular desert roads. And when the terrorists attack army bases and camps with showers of bullets and rocket-propelled grenades, the army moves to strengthen its camps and headquarters externally using additional piles of sand.” 

The researcher added, “The terrorists are always planning according to the latest developments and preparing for attacks based on new gaps. One of the biggest mistakes made by the army is to place checkpoints and fixed military positions on the roads, which make it easy for the terrorists to make surprise plans and carry out attacks, as these are fixed targets that have no back-up protection in the desert land.”