Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — An Al Qaida-aligned militia has expanded operations in Egypt to include attacks on the Army and security forces.

The military has responded with an offensive using U.S. combat platforms including the F-16 fighter and Apache attack helicopters.

Egyptian sources said a Salafist movement with a significant presence in the Gaza Strip has spread to the neighboring Sinai Peninsula. They identified the group as Tawhid W’al Jihad, believed to be supported by Qatar and nationals from other Gulf Cooperation Council states.

“Over the last 18 months, they have grown tremendously because of the funding they receive from the Gulf,” a source said.

[On July 28, at least three officers were injured in what was described as a missile attack on the Egyptian Security Directorate building in El Arish. Egyptian sources said three suspects, including a Palestinian, were
arrested.]

The sources said Tawhid spurred Egyptian plans for a major
counter-insurgency offensive in Sinai. They said the CI campaign, reported
to have been launched on July 28, included F-16 multi-role fighter, AH-64
Apache attack helicopters and other U.S.-origin combat platforms.

Tawhid was said to be affiliated to Al Qaida, particularly the current
commander, Ayman Zawahiri. The sources said Tawhid formed close ties to both
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as well as Bedouin tribes in eastern and
southern Sinai.

The sources said Tawhid’s links with Qatar prevented the then-Muslim
Brotherhood regime in Cairo from launching a full-scale counter-insurgency
campaign. They said Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, ousted on July 3,
resisted pressure from the Egyptian Army and security services to attack
Salafist strongholds throughout Sinai in May.

In May, Tawhid was identified as having abducted six Egyptian soldiers
and security officers in Sinai. After nearly a week of negotiations, the
security personnel were released.

A leading Salafist cleric, Sheik Nabil Naim, asserted that Morsi’s
hesitancy stemmed from an alliance between his Brotherhood and the
Salafists. Naim said the two groups share the same ideology, and that the
Salafists might be needed to protect the regime from the pro-democracy
opposition.

Israel has been closely monitoring Tawhid in Sinai and Gaza. The Israeli
intelligence community has assessed that Tawhid played a significant role in
the estimated 2,000 Salafists in the Sinai, divided between Egyptians and
Palestinians. The Salafists were said to be most active in northeastern
Sinai.

“It is not easy to find them over such a vast territory,” former Israeli
ambassador Zvi Mazel said. “The terrorists feel confident enough to conduct
daring raids against police stations, roadblocks and even army patrols,
inflicting small but painful losses to the security forces.”

The sources said the Egyptian military and Central Security Forces have
determined that elements in Hamas were helping Salafists in Sinai. They said
the coordination has been encouraged and funded by Iran, which sees Sinai as
a launching pad to attack neighboring Israel and Jordan.

“The military after Morsi wants to intensify operations against Tawhid,
but it’s not clear whether this effort can be sustained,” the source said.

  Apaches to counter Al Qaida offensive in Sinai, Ayman Zawahiri, Bedouin tribes, Egypt officials: Militia funded by Qatar, Egypt using U.S. F-16s, El Arish, Gaza Strip, Gulf states on rise in Sinai, Tawhid W’al Jihad