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| Africa: North | ||
| Al Qaeda in Sinai Has Advanced to Striking Range of the Suez Canal, Israel and Jordan | ||
| 2005-10-03 | ||
Al Qaeda has established local terror networks in northern Sinai – centering on el Arish, as well as strongholds in the inaccessible central mountains of the peninsula around Jebel Hillal. In all, the jihadists control roughly one-fifth of Sinai total area (61,000sq. km or 23,500sq. miles). Egyptian forces of law and order have learned not to venture into these bastions or into the areas commanded by age-old smuggler clans who currently collaborate with al Qaeda. This leaves about half of the forbidding desert peninsula inaccessible to Egyptian security forces. Today, they can only claim to control the main roads routes fringing the vast desert expanse: from Ras Sudeir down to Sharm el Sheikh along the Suez Canal and Suez Gulf shores; from the Suez Canal east to El Arish along the Mediterranean shore and from the Sharm el-Sheikh resort center north along the Gulf of Aqaba to Taba and the Israeli port of Eilat. The spectacular, biblical landscape conceals terrorist bomb traps and roadside devices. Gunmen armed with RPG and anti-tank weapons lurk behind huge rocks in wait for any Egyptian police or security unit daring to step off a main road into one of the dry valleys dissecting the forbidding peaks. The danger increases with the altitude. Al Qaeda has joined up with rebellious Bedouin and Palestinians to recreate the Tora Bora of Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden’s fighters fought US and Afghan forces in November 2001.
The Egyptian have tried large-scale assaults on the al Qaeda mountain fastnesses and failed. They were forced to retreat with heavy casualties. According to DEBKAfile’s military experts, the only way for Egypt to wrest mastery of the Sinai heartland from the terrorists is by a combined aerial bombardment coupled with helicopter landings of at least two special forces brigades. This in present circumstances is not feasible because - 1. The 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty demilitarizing Sinai precludes Egyptian air force operations. In theory, Cairo can approach Jerusalem for permission, but in practice this would expose the Mubarak government to widespread Muslim opprobrium for collaborating with the Jewish state in the war against Islamic terror. 2. Egyptian intelligence does not have an exact count of the anti-air missiles in al Qaeda’s hands. The passage of a quantity of these weapons from Sinai to the Gaza Strip leads Egyptian intelligence to deduce a fairly sizeable number – enough to cause havoc with a helicopter commando drop. 3. Al Qaeda’s smuggling routes crisscross Sinai day and night, freely plied by fighters, weapons, explosives and food. These routes exploit the peninsula’s exceptional geography to run between Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and of late the Gaza Strip. The Egyptians despite every effort have not been able to close down a single smuggling route. This fact ties in with the kidnap alert for Israeli travelers. Should al Qaeda succeed in abducting an Israeli, it has the organization to conceal its victim for a long period in its Sinai mountain bastion or transport him or her to another Arab country, including Iraq. 4. That al Qaeda has established a presence in the Gaza Strip is no longer a matter of speculation. Today, Israeli military intelligence AMAN and the Shin Beit are taking the new manifestation of Al Qaeda-Palestine as an offshoot of Al Qaeda-Sinai with the utmost seriousness. Foreign terrorists have been detected entering the Gaza Strip, welcomed and integrated in to the logistical infrastructures of Hizballah, Hamas, Jihad Islami and the Popular Fronts. This is not a one-way road. Elements of Hizballah, Hamas and Jihad Islami have been heading out of Gaza into Sinai and given the use of al Qaeda’s logistical facilities to strike unprotected Israeli holidaymakers at the Sinai resorts. The DEBKAfile Exclusive Map attached to this article (first displaced in DEBKA-Net-Weekly) illustrates the broad strategic thinking behind al Qaeda’s Sinai deployment. It is not just there to nab Israeli vacationers refusing to heed warnings; its terrorist units are within striking distance of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Suez Canal and the Egyptian heartland, as well providing terrorist depth for wars in Iraq and Israel. | ||
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 Daniel 11:42-45 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at (or and) the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. I'm not sure who 'He' is, but I hope we have some satellites over this area between the Eastern and Western seas, as we have been forewarned! |
| Posted by: Danielle 2005-10-03 12:31 |
| #5 Does anyone know when Debka File has ever proven to be right? I mean, it always sounds so damn thorough and inside but I can't ever remember when one of their little G2 nuggets ever turned out to be true or even close to relevant. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2005-10-03 11:40 |
| #4 Keep in mind that Al Qaeda was formed in part out of the more radical wing of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood. Zarq wants Jordan downed; others want the same for Egypt. And, to quote Tom Lehrer's satirical song National Brotherhood Week, "everybody hates the Jews". Oh what the heck, here are the full lyrics with his spoken intro: One week of every year is designated National Brotherhood Week. This is just one of many such weeks honoring various worthy causes. One of my favorites is National Make-fun-of-the-handicapped Week which Frank Fontaine and Jerry Lewis are in charge of as you know. During National Brotherhood Week various special events are arranged to drive home the message of brotherhood. This year, for example, on the first day of the week Malcolm X was killed which gives you an idea of how effective the whole thing is. I'm sure we all agree that we ought to love one another and I know there are people in the world that do not love their fellow human beings and I hate people like that. Here's a song about National Brotherhood Week. Oh, the white folks hate the black folks, And the black folks hate the white folks. To hate all but the right folks Is an old established rule. But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week, Lena Horne and Sheriff Clarke are dancing cheek to cheek. It's fun to eulogize The people you despise, As long as you don't let 'em in your school. Oh, the poor folks hate the rich folks, And the rich folks hate the poor folks. All of my folks hate all of your folks, It's American as apple pie. But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week, New Yorkers love the Puerto Ricans 'cause it's very chic. Step up and shake the hand Of someone you can't stand. You can tolerate him if you try. Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics, And the Catholics hate the Protestants, And the Hindus hate the Moslems, And everybody hates the Jews. But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week, It's National Everyone-smile-at-one-another-hood Week. Be nice to people who Are inferior to you. It's only for a week, so have no fear. Be grateful that it doesn't last all year! |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-10-03 10:46 |
| #3 The paths leading up to peaks – some as tall as 7,500 ft - are barricaded by huge rocks under which explosive snares are concealed. If Al Qeda can keep people from going up, why can't Egypt keep them from coming down, or up to feed them or supply them. We need to make the people who let them live with them pay a price for this stupidity. |
| Posted by: plainslow 2005-10-03 10:15 |
| #2 The blame is squarely on the UN for turning a blind eye to the mounting terrorist infrastructure in that area. They basically made this crap acceptable -- to the world -- by being paleo apologists/supporters/enablers and whoring themselves to the opec crowd and US/Israel bashers. Of course, any attacks on Israel will be met with swiftly and decisively. Now, however, Egypt and Jordan will have to contend with them as well. More muslim on muslim killing. They will reap what they have sown. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2005-10-03 09:24 |
| #1 I will repeat nyself: For starters: nothing like getting rid of one or two mullahs and one or two bankers in S. Arabia. |
| Posted by: Whinesh Omelet6007 2005-10-03 09:06 |