ISIS Sets Up Checkpoints - in Egypt

[Rhinodawg]

For most of the last few years, ISIS has been fighting the fiercest battles—and acquiring most of the territory it now controls—in Iraq and Syria. More recently, militants has been trying to expand that base by gaining a foothold in places like Gaza, Yemen and Egypt.

ISIS has been operating loosely in Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula, for the past six months, launching attacks here and there. But the group has released video and other documents that suggest it is getting more organized in the Sinai—and also more lethal. For the first time, ISIS is setting up military checkpoints, as shown in this ISIS video, on the main road between the major cities of Al-Arish and Rafah. In the video, militants explain that they chose that location, close to the Gaza Strip and the Israeli border, because it will allow them to “catch spies from the Egyptian army and spies for the Jews.”


http://www.vocativ.com/world/isis-2/isis-egypt-nightmare-comes-true/

[Rhinodawg]

1. You can kiss Egypt goodbye if this stands.

[Rhinodawg]

2. Soon to be ISISE

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. This is a function of the military coup that overthrew the elected Muslim Brotherhood government.

The Brotherhood had no truck with ISIS, which is more aligned with the Brotherhood's Salafist rivals.

The Brotherhood gained power democratically. One of the unfortunate consequences of the coup (supported by "liberals" who now share jail cells with the MB) was to demonstrate to Egyptian Islamists that playing the democratic game got you nothing but massacres and imprisonment. This gives breathing room to the crazies.

[bemildred]

4. The debacle in Libya is helping destabilize Egypt too.

And in response to our sanctions over Ukraine, Russia has halted grain exports, which will really turn up the heat in Egypt in the Spring.