Egyptian crackdown boosts ISIS

An Islamist fighter cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province. Photo by Reuters

Gaza imposes security measures along border amid Sinai clashes

By Ma’an news
January 31, 2015

GAZA CITY — Gaza security forces on Thursday evening imposed strict security along the border with Egypt following a series of attacks that left scores of Egyptian soldiers dead in the neighboring Sinai Peninsula.

Spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of the Interior Iyad al-Buzm said that the security measures were imposed to secure the area after militants associated with the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis group fired rockets and set off a car bomb in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

The attacks hit the Egyptian city of Rafah, located directly on the border, as well as el-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, and claimed at least 30 lives, mostly soldiers.

The main attack on Thursday was in el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, where a military base, a police headquarters, a residential complex for army and police officers and several army checkpoints were targeted.

On Friday, continued fighting between militants and Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai left two children dead.

Health officials said a six-month-old baby was hit in the head by a bullet and a six-year-old was killed in a rocket blast in the peninsula.

Two more people including a 12-year-old were badly wounded by gunfire.

The latest deaths came as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cut short a visit to Ethiopia for a regional summit and flew home to deal with the wave of violence, his office said.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which now refers to itself as the “Sinai Province” in reference to its being the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, launched a low-level insurgency against the Egyptian state in 2011.

The movement’s strength increased considerably after the Egyptian military overthrew democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and launched a wide-ranging crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood that left at least 2,000 dead and tens of thousands in prison.

The repression is seen by many as having contributed to the movement’s growing strength, as former Morsi supporters have grown disaffected by electoral politics.

The Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi himself, however, have consistently condemned the insurgency, as well as the government crackdown.

AFP contributed to this report.