Islamic State's Sinai branch shifts its strategy
The Egyptian military's crackdown on terrorist operations in the Sinai Peninsula force the Islamic State's Wilayat Sinai to shift some of its focus from military targets to the civilian population and local businesses.
The Islamic State (IS) is shifting tactics in the Sinai Peninsula: If it’s too difficult to attack military positions, it targets civilians.
The IS affiliate in Sinai, known as Wilayat Sinai, is playing up military shows of force and increasingly intimidating and targeting civilians there. The majority of the terrorist organization’s previous attacks fiercely targeted military positions. Military positions are still being targeted, but the number of attacks has noticeably shrunk.
One of Wilayat Sinai’s largest attacks came July 1, when car bombs targeted security checkpoints in Sheikh Zuweid. According to a statement from Egyptian army officials issued shortly after the attacks and cited by the Associated Press and Reuters, 17 soldiers and more than 100 militants died.
Wilayat Sinai claimed responsibility for the beheading of more than one citizen in November and this month. Moreover, it organized multiple military parades in February, apparently designed to intimidate citizens, which ended in the Egyptian armed forces killing 35 of its members.
