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ISIS Activates Terror Cells in Nile Valley
ISIS Activates Terror Cells in Nile Valley
Waleed Abdul Rahman Asharq Al Awsat 31 January 2017
http://english.aawsat.com/2017/01/article55366638/isis-activates-terror-cells-nile-valley
Cairo- Egyptian experts said that ISIS has activated its cells in the Nile
valley away from the peninsula of Sinai, where it targeted security officers
over the past three years. These warnings came with the release of a local
study highlighting the flow of huge financial sums to fund terrorist
operations in Egypt. According to the study, such sums have played the
biggest role in the revival of the Takfiri movements. These reports
coincided with many significant measures taken by the Egyptian authorities.
Egyptian observers have highlighted the increase of ISIS attacks in and
around Cairo during 2016 compared with 2015, during which attacks were
focused in Sinai. Observers saw that the organization has sought to expand
its terrorism plans out of Sinai.
ISIS’ al-Haq News Agency published addresses of 5000 police officers in
Egypt who live far from Sinai, along with the types and colors of their cars
and pledged to make use of these addresses soon. According to reports, these
officers serve in Delta and the Valley region.
It is worth noting that ISIS claimed responsibility for the biggest and most
dangerous attack that targeted the Coptic Church in Cairo in December; the
attack killed 28 people and provoked local and international convictions.
Back to “Takfir”
On another hand, a recent Egyptian study said that terrorist groups in the
country received huge funds, which highly contributed to the revival of
Takfiri movements. Some old groups like “Al-Jihad” and “Jamaa Islamiya”,
which used to focus on preaching, announced that they have adopted violent
approaches. They have also resumed their speech of Takfir, and some of their
members have pledged allegiance to ISIS.
For his part, Security Expert Alsayed Abdul Mohsen said that ISIS’
operations in Delta depend on small groups that work discretely and
intercommunicate through social media websites like Facebook and twitter to
launch new attacks that would be adopted by ISIS later. He added that ISIS
also uses social media to recruit new members to work according to the lone
wolves strategy.
ISIS succeeds on the financial level
Back to the study conducted by Dar al-Iftaa, it said that ISIS’ economy,
which makes part of the global economy, has been one of the major reasons
behind the group’s survival in the Arab and international arena despite all
the hits it has faced.
ISIS Amaq News Agency reported that terrorist attacks launched by ISIS in
2015 ranged between 50 and 60, then, surged to 80-100. This number of
attacks requires huge amounts of money. According to the study, attacks
launched on “one day” cost USD15 million. It has also revealed that ISIS’
economy is not random as many think and does not only depend on taxes and
drug smuggling, but also on more important resources that can cover the huge
costs of the group’s war.
Money laundering
The Egyptian study said that terrorist organizations cooperate with
businessmen, corruptive groups, and commercial companies in some countries
to cover their suspicious economy in money laundering. Groups use these
discrete operations aiming at investing these funds and securing their
growth in order to cover the war cost, and to deepen their investments
through international networks working in the global economy.
The study also said that the extremist groups’ economy depends on weakening
economies of countries fighting terrorism by hitting the sources of national
income like tourism and oil.
Reports of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior announced the capture of many cells that belong to
ISIS; arrested members held banknotes and plans of attacks. Some security
analysts considered that ISIS’ focus on Egypt makes a logical step following
the loss of its territories in Syria and Iraq.
Security experts asserted that ISIS has sought to change its strategy in
Egypt by targeting Delta and Nile Valley regions to confuse security bodies.
Observers suggested that security forces should concentrate intelligence
activities to collect information and reports in cooperation with Sinai’s
residents to halt activities by armed cells and to control the routes they
use to smuggle money and weapons.
Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72114
