BICOM

According to a report by Reuters, ISIS is helping train one of the most prominent armed Islamist groups in Sinai, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which has on occasion attacked Israel.

Since Egypt’s military ousted the Muslim Brotherhood last July, the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel has become increasingly lawless and has been plagued by violence due to the increasing presence of Islamist Jihadi groups. Egypt’s army has launched a major offensive against these groups in recent months, especially Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis. In addition, the Egyptian military has also destroyed more than 1,500 smuggling tunnels into Sinai from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

However, Reuters quotes an Ansar commander, who says that ISIS “teach us how to carry out operations. We communicate through the internet,” adding, “They don’t give us weapons or fighters. But they teach us how to create secret cells, consisting of five people. Only one person has contact with other cells.” ISIS military successes have alarmed the international community, taking control of large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Last month, Ansar broadcast that it had decapitated four Egyptians who it accused of spying for Israel. Beheadings have become the hallmark of ISIS activity and have been roundly condemned by world leaders. The Ansar commander commented, “The beheadings had a purpose.”

Ansar’s campaign of violence in Sinai has primarily targeted Egyptian forces and they are thought to have killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers during the past year. In January, they shot down an Egyptian army helicopter using anti-aircraft missiles. However, Ansar has also targeted Israel on occasion. In January, two rockets were fired on Eilat, the country’s southernmost city, also an important Israeli tourist resort and commercial port. The city came under fire last year too and its airport was closed last year as a precaution. There have also been two infiltrations across the Israeli border since 2011, resulting in a number of deaths.