ISIS in Sinai

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The Sinai Desert might very well be where ISIS is most powerful and best organized right now. It is probably there that they are better organized than even in Syria in Yemen or even in Iraq.

The Sinai is home to Answar Bayt al Maqdis (ABM) which means the protectors of Jerusalem, aka (also known as) Wiliyat Sinai which means the Sinai Province.

ABM is over 10,000 fighters strong. That is a massive and significant number, especially considering that 30,000 is the number of fighters ISIS has in Iraq and Syria. They threaten Egypt regularly and they are right on Israel's border. Israel has increased their intelligence in Sinai as they expect that ABM will attempt an attack and there is very little chance that there will be any advanced warning.

Just a few days ago Israel's Special Forces conducted a surprise set of maneuvers in the south. They were role playing an ISIS attack in Eilat and Niztana.

ABM is the group that downed the Russia airliner in Sinai which killing 240 people. Now Israel is working very closely with Egypt and has increased every aspect of defense strategy.

What makes the fight against this ISIS affiliate so complicated is that the most feared and best organized Bedouin tribe in the region has become part of the ISIS block. The Sawarka tribe is the most brutal and the most powerful of the 26 tribes in the Sinai. Cross the Sawarka and you die.
The Sawarka began their business trade by smuggling drugs into Israel, then weapons and now people and just about everything else.

This tribe has 2,500 fighters plus 10,000 in reserve. They are divided into organized units with 75 to 100 fighters in each unit, each with clear roles and responsibilities. They are a professional fighting force.

This Bedouin tribe knows the terrain like no one else and they are extremely loyal. Right now the tribe favors ISIS - they have an alliance which will attack Egyptian forces and all Westerners.

The head of operations for Sawarka is Ibrahim al Manai. He has granted only one interview and it took place in a cafe in Caro. In the interview al Manai made it clear that his tribe is well outfitted and well trained in the use of numerous weapons and tactics.

Most importantly, it was clear from the interview that al Manai sees the Sinai as belonging to the Sawarka and they will not permit any outsider control over what it theirs.

None of this portends well.

The union between ISIS and a fierce Bedouin tribe with experience smuggling goods and people into Israel is a very serious and very dangerous nexus.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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