BICOM

Egypt’s military embarked on a significant military offensive over the weekend in order to combat the threat of violence from Islamist groups in the increasingly unsettled Sinai Peninsula.

Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi from power in Egypt in July, the Sinai, which borders Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, has been plagued by violence. In a series of incidents, Islamist groups have attacked Egyptian security positions. Egypt’s rulers believe that these efforts have been significantly aided by imported weapons and personnel via tunnels from Gaza.

Egypt’s military has deployed significant forces in Sinai during recent weeks, but Egyptian media says that a particularly large operation was launched over the weekend. Egyptian daily Al-Youm al-Sabaa said that Egypt’s army aims to “soon eliminate all the terrorists and armed groups” in Sinai. Armoured vehicles and helicopters were reported to have taken part in operations on Saturday, near Sheikh Zuweid just a few miles from the Gaza Strip, in which thirty one people were killed or injured and a further fifteen detained. Operations apparently continued yesterday just south of Rafah, which straddles the Gaza border. According to Egypt’s Al- Shorouk, 118 terrorist targets were destroyed including three large arms caches.

At the same time, one of the Islamist groups targeted, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) claimed responsibility for an attempt to kill Egypt’s Interior Minister last week and pledged similar attacks in the future. Reuters quotes a statement from the group which said it had carried out “a suicide operation committed by one of Egypt’s lions” saying “what is to come will be worse.”

Amos Gilad, the head of the diplomatic-security bureau at Israel’s Defence Ministry said yesterday that although “Israel is not connected” to Egypt’s crackdown in Sinai, “It is very important that the Egyptians are carrying out a broad campaign against terror, and what they are doing is impressive.”