Islamic State leader in Sinai killed in clash with Egyptian forces

Leader of the ISIS terrorist organization in the Sinai Peninsula, Salim Salma Said Mahmoud al-Hamadin, was killed during clashes with Bedouin and Egyptian forces near Al-Barth, south of Rafah and near the border with Israel, according to Arabic media. A bodyguard and escort were also detained.

Hamadin, referred to as the “most dangerous and oldest of the takfiri elements in the Sinai,” was responsible for the murder of hundreds of civilians and Egyptian soldiers, according to the reports. “Takfiri” is a word often used to refer to armed extremist groups, but originally referred to Muslim apostates or infidels.

The targeting of the ISIS leader was conducted as a joint operation between the Egyptian military and the Sinai Tribal Union.

The terrorist leader had been arrested in the past due to involvement in bombings in Taba and Sharm al-Sheikh, but managed to escape and continue his terrorist activities.

Hamadin recruited a large number of people to the terrorist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis before the group swore allegiance to ISIS, according to Sky News Arabia. ISIS in the Sinai has bombed gas pipelines between Egypt and Israel and has launched rockets at Israel multiple times.

In 2019, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi confirmed that Egypt’s military was working with Israel to combat ISIS in the Sinai, in an interview with CBS.

Source: JP