Al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya threatened to kill anyone found aiding Egyptian security forces currently operating in the Sinai. The jihadist group also offered those aiding the security forces a chance to repent.
The Egyptian army announced that recent operations in the Sinai have led to the arrests of numerous “terrorist elements” as well as the seizure of a variety of weaponry. A leading Sinai jihadist group contended, however, that a recent army operation killed seven civilians, including four children.
A new statement by al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya denied the existence of al Qaeda in the Sinai as an organization, and accused the Egyptian army of lying about recent operations. The group noted the alleged arrest of Adel Mohammed Ibrahim and recent airstrikes, which Egyptian authorities claimed had killed at least eight militants.
The Egyptian army’s spokesman claimed that 78 militants have been killed in recent operations in the Sinai. The remarks come a day after a Sinai-based jihadist group, which had previously said it would not target the army, threatened attacks against Egyptian security personnel.
Al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya in Sinai has issued two statements in recent days. One statement praised the four Ansar Jerusalem members recently killed in the Sinai, while the other challenged army claims regarding operations in the peninsula.
The army’s statement denied allegations of “crimes” in the Sinai and allowing Israeli drones to operate over Egyptian territory.
A report posted to jihadist forums yesterday details a number of recent attacks on Egyptian security personnel and installations in the Sinai Peninsula.
A group calling itself Ansar al Sharia Egypt has announced its formation in the Sinai and has threatened violence in the wake of recent events. It is not clear if the organization is truly a new front, or simply a covert part of an already established group with the same name.
The Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem and the Army of Islam claimed to have carried out joint rocket attacks against Israel in the past couple of days. Meanwhile, the efforts of Sinai-based Salafi jihadists to join the recent fighting appear to have been suppressed.
Muslim Brotherhood members from Egypt are also reported to have entered Gaza to fight as Israel pounds Hamas targets during Operation Pillar of Defense.