ISIS Attacks In Egypt?

Update: The Times of Israel now puts the number at “over 70” people dead. 

A wave of attacks on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt left at least 38 dead and dozens more injured this morning, writes Gawker.  The attacks were at Egyptian army checkpoints.

The New York Times puts the number of dead at 64 Egyptian troops.

According to the AP, the terrorist group ISIS has already claimed responsibility for the attacks on Facebook.

Also over the weekend, the Egyptian state prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed at point blank range with a roadside bomb tied to an ISIS group.  The name of the ISIS group is the Sinai Province, writes Gawker.

Yesterday, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi publicly promised to step up efforts against the group, apparently prompting a “swift response.”

The morning assault was reportedly launched by around 70 ISIS operatives, who used mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and car bombs in “near simultaneous assaults” on several army checkpoints.

According to the an Associated Press report:

“An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks, saying its fighters targeted a total of 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings, two of which targeted checkpoints and one that hit an officers’ club in the nearby city of el-Arish.

“The authenticity of the claim could not be immediately verified but it was posted on a Facebook page associated with the group.

“Except for the attack at the officers’ club, the rest took place in the town of Sheikh Zuweid and targeted at least six military checkpoints, the officials said. The militants also took soldiers captive and seized weapons and several armored vehicles, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.”

(Updated article)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/01/world/middleeast/ap-ml-egypt.html?_r=0

Video Shows Egyptian In Libya Becoming A Suicide Bomber

A four-minute video shows a young man identified as Mosa’ab el Mohager in the back of a car, driving near the outskirts of Benghazi.

It ends with a shot of a distant explosion, which was supposedly the explosion of the young man carrying out a “martyrdom operation” in the name of the local Libyan branch of ISIS.

“We, unfortunately, are likely to see more and more of these tapes,” said Khaled Masouri, a 27-year-old Egyptian teacher who recently returned to Cairo from a year-long teaching project in Libya. “There are many Egyptians flocking to these jihadi groups.”

Thousands of Egyptians are estimated to be fighting with ISIS in Iraq and Syria, states BuzzFeed.

Egypt’s military has openly bombed ISIS targets in Libya.

However, Egyptian officials fear that thousands more Egyptioans could join the ISIS militants that it’s attacking, in a country that it shares a long, porous border with.

More here

Saudi Arabia, Egypt May Lead Ground Operation In Yemen

MSNBC

Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes in Yemen on Wednesday as part of a military offensive against Houthi rebels in the country, states Slate. A ground invasion could follow, states MSNBC.

The Saudi airstrikes continued today, state sources.

The Shiite Houthi rebels – backed by Shiite Iran – made significant enough advances to drive U.S.-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi from the country on Wednesday.

Egyptian security and military officials told the Associated Press that Saudi Arabia and Egypt will lead a ground operation in Yemen against the rebels and their allies after an airstrike campaign.

Three senior officials told the Associated Press that forces would enter by land from Saudi Arabia and by sea from the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, states CNBC.

Al Jazeera Journalist Back In Australia

Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has returned to Brisbane, Australia, following his release from an Egyptian prison and has been reunited with his family following his release from an Egyptian prison.  At a news conference he praised the long campaign to free him and his colleagues and expressed relief.

Mr. Greste and two colleagues were arrested in 2013. They were convicted of spreading false news and aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The jailing of the journalists sparked an international outcry.

The three al-Jazeera journalists were arrested in 2013, after the military toppled the Muslim Brotherhood government, led by President Mohammed Morsi.

The men were convicted in 2014 of aiding the Brotherhood, which had been banned by Mr Morsi’s successor, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

Mr. Fahmy and Mr. Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison and Mr Mohamed to 10. Their convictions were overturned on January 1st, but the men remained in custody pending a retrial.  All the defendants denied the charges against them and said their trial was a sham.

Surprise Ruling In Egyptian Homosexuality Trial

According to CBS news, a Cairo court acquitted 26 men on Monday who had been accused of “debauchery” in a rare victory for Egypt’s gay community that has recently faced an increasingly oppressive police crackdown.

The defendants had faced between 1-9 years in prison on varying degrees of “debauchery” — the most common Egyptian legal term used in cases against men accused of homosexuality.

Though homosexuality is not technically illegal in Egypt, the police and courts have a history of persecuting the gay community in the socially-conservative country. Monday’s ruling surprised many observers.

“It’s unprecedented,” said longtime human rights activist Scott Long. “This just doesn’t happen.”