DOCSLIB.ORG

Sinai Terrorism Picks up but Egyptians Still See End in Sight

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sinai Terrorism Picks up but Egyptians Still See End in Sight July 3, 2015 11 News & Analysis Egypt Sinai terrorism picks up but Egyptians still see end in sight Amr Emam Though this does not apply to the July 1st attacks, a survey of Sinai vi- olence may prove Sweillam’s view Cairo at least partly correct. In 2013, ISIS carried out four ma- oordinated attacks on jor attacks, including one on the se- security and army check- curity directorate in the Nile Delta points in northern Sinai city of Mansoura. The group also on July 1st resulted in the tried to kill former interior minister deaths of 17 soldiers and Mohamed Ibrahim with a booby- Cmore than 100 militants dead and trapped car. scores of others wounded. In 2014, the militant group The attacks were staged by more mounted six major attacks, in- Military funeral for Hisham Barakat than 100 militants who fired mortar cluding one on a North Sinai army rounds and detonated three suicide checkpoint that left scores of army razing hundreds of buildings. There car bombs against checkpoints in personnel dead. It also shot down have been reports that the army the North Sinai province city of an army helicopter, killing five peo- is digging a huge trench along the Violence tied to shift in Sheikh Zuweid, setting off clashes ple. Gaza border to deter tunnel digging. with the army as military reinforce- In January 2015, ISIS staged twin Addressing tribal leaders and Brotherhood tactics ments arrived. attacks on an army hotel and camp, public figures on June 24th, Sisi The attacks, which were claimed killing 32 military personnel and ci- said the demolition of homes on the Cairo the dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit- by Sinai Province, a branch of the vilians. border with the Gaza Strip was his ins in Cairo and Giza province the Islamic State (ISIS), alarmed the However, Nabil Naeem, a former only option. he assassination of Egypt’s following month. public and ushered in wider specu- jihadist-turned-terrorism expert, Sisi’s fight against Sinai militants chief prosecutor Hisham Mohamed Habib, a former Broth- lation on the future of confronta- warned of the ability of the militant gained a new impetus a few months Barakat in a bomb attack erhood second-in-command, tions between the army and mili- group to attract recruits. He said ago when tribes in the peninsula led to calls for a tougher wrote June 29th on Twitter that by tants in Sinai. ISIS, which follows a line of think- publicly turned against the mili- crackdown on the Muslim assassinating the chief prosecutor, “By looking at the performance ing that considers “infidels” all rul- tants and vowed to help the army TBrotherhood, although the group the Brotherhood has nobody else of [ISIS] in the past few weeks, one ers who do not act along the ISIS battle them. This shift happened has not been officially accused of to blame. can easily notice that the group was viewpoint of the teachings of the soon after Sinai Province militants carrying out the attack. “I expect the government’s re- badly in need of a media victory Quran, continues to appeal to some targeting tribal leaders and civilians More than 17 soldiers died in action to be both strong and deci- through its local agents in countries disaffected young Egyptians. they accused of cooperating with the following two days in attacks sive,” Habib wrote. A few hours lat- like Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait and “They mainly address ignorant the army. claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) er, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah France,” Abdel Monem Halawa, an youths who have a superficial un- The tribes had been cooperating in the Sinai peninsula. al-Sisi said his country would use expert on Middle East affairs, said. derstanding of the Islamic religion,” with the army — by providing infor- “Young Brotherhood members the law to avenge Barakat’s death. “We also need to notice that [the said Naeem, who spent time with mation — against the militants for a publicly announce that they have “The chief prosecutor was July 1st] attacks in Sinai come only leaders of the group in Egyptian long time than this public show of opted for violence,” Sameh Eid, Egypt’s voice and those who at- hours after President Abdel Fattah jails. “These uneducated youths belligerency, according to a former an expert on Islamist movements, tacked on Monday wanted to si- al-Sisi threatened to implement are ready to believe anything said to army general. said. “This operation represents lence this voice,” Sisi said during death sentences handed down by them by the leaders of the group.” He said he expected the alliance a real shift in the tactics of these Barakat’s funeral. “Nobody can si- the courts to Islamist figures, in- Mohamed Abu Samra, a former between the tribes and the army members.” lence Egypt’s voice.” cluding ousted Islamist President jihadist leader who heads the Is- to have far-reaching effects on the Brotherhood Deputy Supreme Barakat’s killing was followed Muhammad Morsi himself.” lamist Party, said ISIS’s ideology ability of the authorities to end Si- Guide Mahmoud Ghozlan said re- by additional attacks across Egypt. appeals to a large segment of the nai terrorism. cently that junior Brotherhood On June 30th, bomb attacks rocked The July 1st attacks youth. He was quoted by the Arabic Nevertheless, the militants are members were responsible for at- Egypt’s provinces and the coastal in Sinai come amid a language daily al-Tahrir in April as still capable of staging painful at- tacks on the streets. These junior city of Alexandria. On July 1st, saying that that a large number of tacks in Sinai. On June 25th, they members, sources say, organised more than 60 security and army surge in violence Muslim Brotherhood youths had killed a resident of the North Sinai internal elections a few months ago personnel were killed in coordinat- across Egypt joined the militant group soon after city of al-Arish, kidnapped another and picked new leaders who advo- ed assaults on security checkpoints Morsi was toppled. and set a water tank on fire. Explo- cate violent confrontation with the in Sinai. Attacks took place as The July 1st attacks in Sinai come Egyptian authorities have sive devices planted by the mili- authorities. Egypt marked the second anniver- amid a surge in violence across cracked down on the Muslim Broth- tants on main roads in Sinai also New Brotherhood spokesman sary of the June 30th uprising that Egypt. Chief prosecutor Hisham erhood since Morsi’s downfall, ac- continue to claim military lives. Mohamed Montasser talks of the led to Morsi’s ouster by the army. Barakat was killed by a car bomb- cusing members of the group of be- One of the challenges that faces need to use violence in confronting The crackdown by authorities on ing June 29th and several Egyptian ing behind Egypt’s turmoil. the Egyptian Army in eradicating the crackdown on his organisation. the Muslim Brotherhood has been provinces were rocked by bomb at- Naeem said, however, that there militancy in Sinai was that the mili- Despite denial of responsibility severely criticised by rights groups. tacks June 30th. is much more to the appeal of ISIS tary force was only trained to fight by some in the Islamist organisa- Political analyst Abdel Monem The Egyptian Army has been to youths than just talk about the conventional wars. tion, others were less categorical. Fawzi links the surge in violence as cracking down on Sinai militants for aspired caliphate and “infidel” rul- Sweillam says, however, that The day Barakat was killed, Ahmed well to the scheduled August 6th almost two years. Militants stepped ers. He said former members of Si- with every passing day Egyptian al-Mughir, a junior Brotherhood opening of a new waterway along up attacks following Morsi’s over- nai Province have told him about troops acquire valuable experience figure seemed to condone the the Suez Canal. throw by the army in July 2013 but the enormous financial resources in confronting terrorists. violence. “To the next chief pros- “These attacks always occur Egypt’s military and terrorism ex- the group possesses. He said the “This is a war that will surely ecutor: Your booby-trapped car is ahead of any major events in this perts point to what they describe group continues to receive huge come to an end because as an army, ready,” he wrote on Twitter. country,” Fawzi said. “The aim is to as the “success” of the army in the amounts of money through tunnels we have patience, the thing the ter- Barakat was the most senior sabotage work done by the govern- battle for Sinai. on the border between the Sinai rorists do not have,” Sweillam said. Egyptian government figure to be ment for improving the living con- “Just do the maths and you will Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. “This means that we will end the assassinated since the ouster of ditions of the people and moving discover that this group is no longer The Egyptian Army has demol- war in our favour one way or an- Muhammad Morsi, the Muslim the country forward.” capable of staging major attacks ished hundreds of border tunnels other.” Brotherhood-aligned former presi- against the army in Sinai,” said Hos- and is trying to create a buffer zone dent. Appointed in July Amr Emam is a Cairo-based sam Sweillam, a retired general. along the border with Gaza, evacu- 2013, Barakat ordered contributor to The Arab Weekly. “Now, the group’s terrorism is lim- ating hundreds of families and ited to the planting of explosive de- vices here and there, but the army is more capable of dealing with them.” Army trucks carry Egyptian tanks in a military convoy in El Arish, Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Abuses by the Supreme State Security Prosecution
    PERMANENT STATE OF EXCEPTION ABUSES BY THE SUPREME STATE SECURITY PROSECUTION Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. © Amnesty International 2019 Cover photo: Illustration depicting, based on testimonies provided to Amnesty International, the inside Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons of an office of a prosecutor at the Supreme State Security Prosecution. (attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives, international 4.0) licence. © Inkyfada https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode For more information please visit the permissions page on our website: www.amnesty.org Where material is attributed to a copyright owner other than Amnesty International this material is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. First published in 2019 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Index: MDE 12/1399/2019 Original language: English amnesty.org CONTENTS GLOSSARY 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 METHODOLOGY 11 BACKGROUND 13 SUPREME STATE SECURITY PROSECUTION 16 JURISDICTION 16 HISTORY 17 VIOLATIONS OF FAIR TRIAL GUARANTEES 20 ARBITRARY DETENTION
    [Show full text]
  • Amnesty International Report
    CRUSHING HUMANITY THE ABUSE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN EGYPT’S PRISONS Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. © Amnesty International 2018 Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons Cover photo: (attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives, international 4.0) licence. © Designed by Kjpargeter / Freepik https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode For more information please visit the permissions page on our website: www.amnesty.org Where material is attributed to a copyright owner other than Amnesty International this material is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. First published in 2018 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Index: MDE 12/8257/2018 Original language: English amnesty.org CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 METHODOLOGY 10 BACKGROUND 12 ILLEGITIMATE USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT 14 OVERLY BROAD SCOPE 14 ARBITRARY USE 15 DETAINEES WITH A POLITICAL PROFILE 15 PRISONERS ON DEATH ROW 22 ACTS NOT CONSTITUTING DISCIPLINARY OFFENCES 23 LACK OF DUE PROCESS 25 LACK OF INDEPENDENT REVIEW 25 LACK OF AUTHORIZATION BY A COMPETENT
    [Show full text]
  • Five Years of Egypt's War on Terror
    FIVE YEARS OF EGYPT’S WAR ON TERROR The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) is dedicated to influencing policy toward the Middle East and North Africa through rigorous research and targeted advocacy efforts that promote local voices. TIMEP is fully registered and acknowledged under Section501(c)(3) in the District of Columbia. For more information about TIMEP’s mission, programming, or upcoming events, please visit timep.org. This report is the product of the collaborative efforts of TIMEP's staff and fellows. Cover image: A security checkpoint in the Egyptian Western Desert and the Bahariya Oasis in Siwa, Egypt, May 15, 2015 (photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh for Reuters) CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 TERRORISM 5 COUNTER-TERRORISM 10 LEGAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT 14 FINDINGS 15 TERRORISM 17 ACROSS EGYPT: Intensification and evolution in terror attacks after 2013 17 NORTH SINAI: Violence has become an entrenched insurgency 19 MAINLAND: Low-scale violence gives way to sporadic, deadly attacks 26 COUNTER-TERRORISM 35 ACROSS EGYPT: Tens of thousands of citizens ensnared in the war on terror 35 NORTH SINAI: Continuous military occupation 36 MAINLAND: Sweeping and broad crackdown 39 LEGAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT 43 LEGAL AND JUDICIAL CONTEXT: The war on terror trumps rule of law 43 DOMESTIC POLITICAL CONTEXT: The war on terror as pretext for political consolidation 46 GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT: Continued global support 49 FINDINGS 52 METHODOLOGY 54 Egypt Security Watch 3 Five Years of Egypt’s War on Terror INTRODUCTION On July 24, 2013, then-Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah El Sisi asked for a popular mandate to fight terrorism, marking the declaration of the “war on terror” that has lasted five years.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Updates No 9: Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel-Palestine
    Istanbul Kültür University, Ataköy Campus, Global Political Trends Center Bakirköy, 34156, Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul Kültür University Phone: (90) 212 498 44 76 | Fax: (90) 212 498 44 05 www.gpotcenter.org Regional Updates June 2015 | № 9 Regional Updates: Contents Cyprus..........................................................3 Sources and further reading............................4 Egypt...........................................................5 Sources and further reading............................7 Israel-Palestine................................................8 Sources and further reading............................9 GPoT No. 9 | 2 ALPAN | CYPRUS CYPRUS BY DUYGU ALPAN n the beginning of the month, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades attended a theatrical play, “Cyprus: Saddened in Greek, Wounded in Turkish”, Iin their shared hometown, Limassol, as part of the efforts fostering a positive atmosphere towards a solution on the Cyprus question. The play featured the message that both sides committed mistakes and no one is free of guilt, highlighted the two leaders. Responding to the Yeniduzen questions after the event, Anastasiades said it is within his plans to reciprocate Akıncı’s visit to the Greek Cypriot side. Mustafa Akıncı and Nicos Anastasiades held their third meeting within the framework of the UN on June 17. During the meeting, the leaders screened what the negotiators have achieved up to date, and decided to start dealing with the unsolved core matters in an interdependent manner. Hence, the leaders entrusted the negotiators to intensively concentrate on a specific set of essential issues, and report back until the next talks. Furthermore, the leaders scrutinized the confidence building measures (CBM) agreed on earlier, and continued working on further CBMs. They also appointed members of the newly formed committee on gender equality.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt 2015 Human Rights Report
    EGYPT 2015 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY According to its constitution, Egypt is a republic governed by an elected president and a unicameral legislature. Domestic and international observers concluded the presidential election that took place in May 2014 was administered professionally and in line with the country’s laws, while also expressing serious concerns that government limitations on association, assembly, and expression constrained broad political participation. The constitution granted the president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, legislative authority until the election of the new parliament. Parliamentary elections occurred in several rounds from October through December, and the new parliament was scheduled to hold its first session on January 10, 2016. Domestic and international observers concluded that government authorities administered the parliamentary elections professionally and in accordance with the country’s laws. Observers expressed concern about restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression and their negative effect on the political climate surrounding the elections. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. The most significant human rights problems were excessive use of force by security forces, deficiencies in due process, and the suppression of civil liberties. Excessive use of force included unlawful killings and torture. Due process problems included the excessive use of preventative custody and pretrial detention, the use of military courts to
    [Show full text]
  • Quarterly Report: January - March 2016
    QUARTERLY REPORT: JANUARY - MARCH 2016 ESW QUARTERLY REPORT !1 THE TAHRIR INSTITUTE FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, is dedicated to understanding and supporting Middle Eastern countries undergoing democratic transitions and committed to informing international policymakers and the public of developments in these countries. ESW QUARTERLY REPORT !2 CONTENTS Introduction 4 Executive Summary 5 Terrorism 5 Counter-terrorism 6 Legal and Political Developments 7 Terrorism 8 Trends 8 Notable Attacks 12 Terror Groups Developments 14 Counter-Terrorism 19 Trends 19 Notable Operations 22 Security Sector Developments 23 Legal and Political Context 26 Legal and Judicial Developments 26 Political Developments 27 NOTES 30 ESW QUARTERLY REPORT !3 INTRODUCTION The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy’s Egypt Security Watch explores the nature of the security threat that Egypt faces, providing insight and analysis on the state’s response to this threat. The project is dynamic, responding to the changing contours of the situation on the ground and to the needs of its audience. This second quarterly report covers the period of January 2016 to March 2016. The quarterly reports include an elaboration of trends in terror attacks and counter-terror operations, cover important developments in Egypt’s security sector, and provide analysis of contextual developments, drawing on the breadth of TIMEP’s institutional knowledge. This format not only provides information on trends, but will offer a richer understanding of Egypt’s overall security situation and its trajectory. Our quarterly reports feature three sections: • Terrorism: With information detailing notable attacks, terror group developments, and trends, this section provides a picture of the threat posed to Egypt from actors seeking to use political violence to create a climate of fear in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt's Self-Inflicted Slaughter
    Counterproductive Egypt’s Self-Inflicted Slaughter Ruth Michaelson / 07.03.153:35 PM ET The grim record of this week demonstrates the failure of el-Sisi’s notion of law and his struggle for order. CAIRO — These last few days have been filled with panic and bloodshed across Cairo and in the Sinai. A car bomb killed Attorney General Hisham Barakat on Monday in the capital, followed the next day by two more car bombs that killed the drivers and a passerby. Then, on Wednesday, Egypt awoke to a day of horrific rolling news coverage: Militants aligned with the so-called Islamic State were attempting to seize territory in a small town in the Sinai Peninsula. The group formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, now calling itself the Wilayat Sinai, meaning the Islamic State’s Province of Sinai, mounted a shocking offensive. It seized checkpoints around the town of Sheikh Zuweid, which lies to the south of El Arish and the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. Its fighters then embarked on an audacious, ruthless battle to take the entire town. They laid IEDs along roads and between houses to prevent the emergency services or military support from entering, and stormed civilian homes to fire RPG’s and other weapons from their rooftops as they laid siege to the local police station. The ensuing battle with Egypt’s military lasted into the evening, as the air force struck Sheikh Zuweid with F-16s, and ground troops fought to regain control of the area. Egyptian security sources told the Associated Press 64 soldiers were killed, making it the deadliest battle for the Egyptian military since the 1973 war with Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Extremism and Terrorism
    Egypt: Extremism and Terrorism On August 13, 2021, ISIS claimed responsibility after a roadside bomb targeted an armored military vehicle in New Rafah along the Gaza border, killing eight and wounding six. On July 31, ISIS fighters ambushed Egyptian forces at a security checkpoint in Sheikh Zuweid, killing at least five and wounding six. Security forces killed three of the attackers. (Sources: Al Jazeera, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera, Times of Israel) Extremist attacks in the Sinai became rarer in the first half of 2021, though they have not ended altogether. In February 2018, the Egyptian military began an ongoing operation called Sinai 2018 to capture or kill ISIS militants in the northern and central Sinai. On September 10, 2021, prominent Sinai Province leader Mohamed Saad Kamel, a.k.a. Abu Hamza al-Qadi, turned himself in to the Association of Sinai Tribes, which coordinates with the Egyptian military. In March 2021, the Egyptian government began implementing major economic development projects in the Sinai to further dissuade extremists. Despite the successes of Egypt’s counterextremism initiatives, ISIS’s Sinai Province has continued to sporadically carry out attacks in and around the Sinai Peninsula. (Sources: Al-Monitor, Times of Israel, Al-Monitor) Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have accused Egypt of failing to hold its forces accountable. A September 2021 Human Rights Watch report concluded dozens of alleged armed militants killed in so-called shootouts with Egyptian forces did not pose an imminent danger to security forces or others when they were killed. In many cases, the suspects were already in custody when they were killed.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights Watch All Rights Reserved
    HUMAN RIGHTS ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt WATCH All According to Plan The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt Copyright © 2014 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-1661 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org AUGUST 2014 978-1-62313-1661 All According to Plan The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt Map .............................................................................................................................................. I Summary and Key Recommendations ........................................................................................... 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Rab'a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt
    H U M A N R I G H T S ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt WATCH All According to Plan The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt Copyright © 2014 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-1661 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org AUGUST 2014 978-1-62313-1661 All According to Plan The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt Map .............................................................................................................................................. I Summary and Key Recommendations ........................................................................................... 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sisi's Response to New Terrorist Tactics | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / Sisi's Response to New Terrorist Tactics by Muhammad Mansour Jul 16, 2015 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Muhammad Mansour Muhammad Mansour is an Egyptian expert and Op-ed writer with a specialty in Middle Eastern affairs. J uly 16, 2015 When terrorists assassinated Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat, this successful, high profile attack demonstrated that Egyptian terrorist activity could begin favoring political assassinations in densely populated cities. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has acknowledged this threat and increased security in Egypt, which helped Egyptian forces successfully defeat the recent terrorist offensive in the Sinai peninsula. But Sisi also intends to use the incident to crack down on his largest political enemy, the Muslim Brotherhood. In response the attack on Barakat, Sisi has called for accelerated implementation of the mass death sentences issued against a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including President Mohamed Morsi and the Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood Mohamed Badie. Sisi’s decision to repress many different opposition parties may alter the values that the January revolution brought into the country. Terrorists may be especially inclined to shift their tactics towards political assassinations after the failure of their most recent attack on the Sinai Peninsula. In early July, hundreds of extremist fighters attacked Egyptian military forces with sophisticated weaponry, including anti-aircraft missiles. However, the terrorists lost due to the valor of Egyptian soldiers and the cover of F-16 aircraft. According to official armed forces data, only 17 soldiers perished while Egyptian forces killed at least 100 terrorists. This failure, along with the success of Barakat’s assassination, suggests that terrorists may prefer to establish a new strategy of political killings in Cairo and other major cities to challenge the Egyptian government.
    [Show full text]
  • How Brutal 'Counter-Terrorism' Is Failing Egypt and Its Allies
    We need to talk about Egypt: how brutal ‘counter-terrorism’ is failing Egypt and its allies October 2017 We need to talk about Egypt On 24 July 2013, three weeks after Egypt’s army removed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) member Mohammed Morsi from the presidency, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, then defence minister, called on I. Three waves of terror in Egypt the Egyptian people to back the army and the police to fight terrorism across the country.[1] Seen as a way to create a mandate for continued military rule after the coup, this call to fight II. Egypt’s third wave of terror terror has defined Egypt ever since. III. Repression in the name of counter-terrorism Four years on, widespread repressive tactics by the Egyptian government are more severe than even during President Mubarak’s most desperate years in charge. President Sisi, who IV. Violence begets violence: the consequences of has ruled since 2014, has used the terror threat to justify intense repression: sweeping repression counter-terror (CT) laws to clamp down on dissent, a Stalin-style programme of mass incarceration overseen by military tribunals, widespread ‘assembly-line’ use of torture V. International support for the and extra-judicial killing. Egged on by state-controlled media, the strategy targets not only regime violent individuals but also journalists and dissenting citizens. In Sinai, Egypt’s hidden war Epilogue: The case for has escalated, in part due to the collective punishment of local communities who have faced a different national and aerial bombardment, forced displacement and deprivation of essential services. international approach Such repression typically foments further conflict and terror attacks.[2] In Egypt, the situation has unquestionably worsened: since 2013, violence by the state and non-state groups has caused the deaths of thousands of Egyptians, including civilians, members of armed groups, police and army personnel.
    [Show full text]