Egypt’s Sinai emerges as new theater for jihad.

Egypt’s Sinai emerges as new theater for jihad.

Peninsula becoming a hotbed for terror groups since the ouster of Islamist president Morsi

Egyptian Army personnel supervise the destruction of tunnels
between Egypt and the Gaza Strip at the border, near the town
 of Rafah, northern Sinai, Egypt, Tuesday Sept. 3, 2013
 (photo credit: AP/AP Television)

CAIRO  | AP | 04 Sep 2013 ::  An Egyptian doctor once close to Osama bin Laden is bringing together multiple al-Qaida-inspired militant groups in Egypt’s Sinai to fight the country’s military, as the lawless peninsula emerges as a new theater for jihad, according to Egyptian intelligence and security officials.

There have been other signs of a dangerous shift in the longtime turmoil in the peninsula bordering Israel and Gaza since the military’s July 3 ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, the officials say. With the shifts, Sinai’s instability is becoming more regionalized and threatens to turn into an outright insurgency.

Sinai has seen an influx of foreign fighters the past two months, including several hundred Yemenis. Several militant groups that long operated in the area to establish an Islamic Caliphate and attack their traditional enemy Israel have joined others in declaring formally that their objective now is to battle Egypt’s military.

Also, Sinai has become the focus of attention among major regional jihadi groups. Al-Qaida’s branch in Iraq last weekend called on Egyptians to fight the military, as did al-Qaida’s top leader, Ayman al-Zawahri. The militant considered the most dangerous man in the Sahara — one-eyed terror leader Moktar Belmoktar, a former member of al-Qaida’s North Africa branch — joined forces with a Mali-based jihadi group last month and vowed attacks in Egypt.

Topping the most wanted list in Sinai is Ramzi Mawafi, a doctor who joined al-Qaida in Afghanistan in the 1990s. Mawafi, 61, escaped from an Egyptian prison in 2011 in a massive jailbreak that also sprung free Morsi and more than a dozen Muslim Brotherhood members during the chaos of the uprising against autocrat Hosni Mubarak.(Courtesy: Times of Israel)

Two bombs explode near IDF patrol on Gaza border.

Two bombs explode near IDF patrol on Gaza border.

No injuries or damage reported in blast near Nahal Oz; incident second of its kind in the past week

An IDF armored vehicle watches over the Karni border
crossing with Gaza (photo credit: Kobi Gideon/Flash90)

Times of Israel | 02 Sep 2013 :: Two explosive charges detonated near an IDF patrol operating adjacent to the Gaza border Monday morning, causing no injuries or damage.

During routine activity along the border, the IDF squad encountered the two roadside bombs near Kibbutz Nahal Oz and the nearby now-defunct Karni Crossing, outside the northern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports. The IDF would not confirm the exact location of the explosions.

According to Israel Radio, IDF troops scanned the areas near the blast for additional explosives and cleared the area to prevent future ambushes.

A similar incident took place Friday, when an IED exploded near an IDFpatrol traveling along the Gaza border fence. No soldiers were injured in Friday’s incident.

Aside from isolated rocket fire attributed to rogue Islamist groups, the border between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has largely been calm since the ceasefire that ended last November’s Operation Pillar of Defense.

Earlier in August the IDF launched an airstrike on Gaza in response to rockets fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. The air force targeted concealed rocket launchers in the strike and direct hits were confirmed, according to the IDF Spokesperson.(Courtesy: The Times of Israel)