The Islamic State – Sinai Province ( IS-SP ; Arabic : الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية سيناء , al-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah – Wilayah Sīnāʼ ) was a branch of the jihadist organization Islamic State that was active in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.
12-585: Islamic State – Sinai Province was originally known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM) which has been part of the Sinai insurgency and has been especially active in the Sinai Peninsula since 2011 after the deterioration of security there, focusing its efforts on Israel and the Arab gas pipeline to Jordan. After former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was deposed in the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état , Egypt began
24-487: A branch of IS. It was believed that Abu Osama al-Masri was leader of IS-SP from August 2016 until his death in June 2018, but not much other personal information is available. In March 2021, it was reported that another IS-SP leader, Salim Salma Said Mahmoud al-Hamadin, was killed during clashes with Egyptian and Bedouin forces near Al-Barth, south of Rafah. As of the beginning of 2023, the group has been very inactive due to
36-765: A campaign of attacks on Egyptian security forces, and in November 2014 the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Most of the group became a branch of ISIL , renaming itself ISIL-Sinai Province . ABM emerged from a number of indigenous Salafi jihadist groups in the Sinai Peninsula . Some of these groups had ties to Salafi jihadis in Gaza or leaders that had previously fought abroad, including with al-Qaeda . ABM rose from
48-511: A crackdown on jihadist groups in Sinai and elsewhere. ABM and other jihadist groups intensified their campaign of attacks on Egyptian security forces. During 2014, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM) sent emissaries to IS in Syria to seek financial support, weapons and tactical advice. On 10 November 2014, many members of ABM took an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , the leader of IS. It adopted
60-486: A lightly armed paramilitary force, mostly Bedouins , responsible for border surveillance, general peacekeeping, drug interdiction, and prevention of smuggling. During the late 1980s, the force was equipped with remote sensors and night-vision binoculars. High-speed motorboats are also in service. The Border Guards were originally under the control of the Ministry of Defense, however control was almost immediately given to
72-616: A rapid succession of mass scale attacks throughout Egypt, including the attempted assassination of the Egyptian interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim. ABM recruited Bedouins as well as other Egyptians and people of other nationalities. Ten leaders from the group were reported to have escaped from the Sinai to Gaza and Marsa Matrouh in late 2013. During 2014, ABM sent emissaries to ISIL in Syria to seek financial support, weapons and tactical advice. On 10 November 2014, many members of ABM took an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ,
84-489: The Holy House ' ), or Ansar Al-Quds ( lit. ' Supporters of Jerusalem ' ), was an Islamist jihadist , extremist terrorist group based in Sinai from 2011 to 2014. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was linked to al-Qaeda from 2011 to 2014. It operated in the Sinai Peninsula , focused its efforts on Egypt and the gas pipeline to Jordan , with a handful attacks directed at Israel . In mid-2013, it began
96-555: The chaos in Sinai that began with the uprising in January 2011 . Its operations increased in the wake of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état , shifting its main target from Israel to Egyptian security forces, declaring the Egyptian army and police apostates that can be killed. ABM was believed to have been the main group behind terrorist activity in the Sinai. From September 2013 to late January 2014, ABM claimed responsibility for
108-836: The group were claimed as those of ISIL-SP. Ministry of Interior (Egypt) The Ministry of Interior of Egypt is a part of the Cabinet of Egypt . It is responsible for law enforcement in Egypt . The Ministry of Interior directs the Central Security Forces , around 410,000 in 2012; the National Police, around 500,000; and the Egyptian Homeland security , around 200,000 strong. The Egyptian Border Guard Corps were organised in border guard regiments totaling approximately 25,000 members. They are
120-576: The heavy operations against IS-SP by the Egyptian Army and Sinai Tribes Union. The group has killed thousands of Egyptian security personnel, and has also been responsible for attacks on civilians, including the killing of Croatian engineer Tomislav Salopek , in August 2015. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis Ansar Bait al-Maqdis ( ABM ; Arabic : أنصار بيت المقدس , romanized : Anṣār Bayt al-Maqdis , lit. ' Supporters of
132-762: The leader of ISIL. Following this pledge, ISIL supporters within ABM formed an official branch of ISIL in the region, known as Wilayat Sinai, the Sinai Province of the Islamic State (or ISIL-SP). ABM or ISIL-SP was designated a terrorist organization by Egypt, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Attacks claimed by or attributed to ABM include: After November 2014, attacks by
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#1732780440541144-538: The name Sinai Province and has since carried out attacks, mostly in North Sinai, but also in other parts of Egypt. Security officials say militants based in Libya have established ties with Sinai Province. On 13 November 2014, ABM dissolved its loyalty to Al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS), and adopted the name Sinai Province ( Wilayah Sīnāʼ ) claiming to be
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