The last time I was in El Arish in Egypt, it was a sleepy and small town on the north coast of the Sinai peninsula. It still is sleepy and small, but today it is also the site of a massive terrorist attack. Gunman attacked worshippers at Friday services at a mosque in El Arish and the death toll is getting close to 300 as I write this. The mosque followed Sufi Islam which groups like ISIS consider heretical. Nevertheless, an attack on a mosque has been a rarity in Egypt in recent years. This is a blatant move which indicates either that ISIS in the Sinai now feels strong enough to attempt such carnage or, conversely, that ISIS in the Sinai feels so threatened that it attempted a massive attack to get publicity and adherents.
There has been an ongoing battle with ISIS in Sinai. The Egyptian military has fought a number of battles with ISIS in the region. Because of the undeveloped nature of the countryside, however, it is not easy to gain control over the ISIS forces. Sinai is about the size of West Virginia, but it has just over half a million residents. That means that there are a great many places where the ISIS forces could hide undetected.
Hopefully, the terrorists will be caught and dealt with by the Egyptian forces.
There has been an ongoing battle with ISIS in Sinai. The Egyptian military has fought a number of battles with ISIS in the region. Because of the undeveloped nature of the countryside, however, it is not easy to gain control over the ISIS forces. Sinai is about the size of West Virginia, but it has just over half a million residents. That means that there are a great many places where the ISIS forces could hide undetected.
Hopefully, the terrorists will be caught and dealt with by the Egyptian forces.
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