Egyptian soldier and collaborator killed in attack on ISIS site in Sinai

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A soldier and a civil collaborator were killed in an attack by the Egyptian military forces, supported by collaborating tribal groups, on a site of ISIS-affiliated Wilayet Sinai, south of Bir Al-Abd. ISIS insurgents resisted the attack injuring a couple of soldiers, including an officer. The attack came after a series of attacks by ISIS on military patrols and on vehicles of military-affiliated projects, especially in Bir al-Abd and in Maghara, in the middle of Sinai.

One week ago, an explosive device destroyed a military vehicle killing Major Ahmed Ashraf, operational leader of Battalion 26 Reconnaissance. The leader of the same battalion, Colonel Ahmed Gomaa, was killed three weeks ago in a similar attack.

High casualties among Egyptian troops since the beginning of 2021 have raised questions over the military’s strategy and the efficiency of troops in Sinai, especially after four years of recurrent military operations in Sinai that supposedly attempted to eradicate Wilayet Sinai. Although the military integrated armed tribal groups in spite of criticism, ISIS succeeded in continuing its attack, not against the army only, but further against the collaborating tribes and even the workers in economic projects affiliated to the military.