Yesterday during the football game between Ahly and Zamalek , Egypt’s major Derby militants in Sinai unleashed unprecedented series of attacks against security forces in three towns in North Sinai in the same time. It was 1:07 AM when I started working on this post. There have been true credible sources about what happened.
The attacks took place in North Sinai specially in three cities Al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zowaid.
According to official sources in the ministry of health to Reuters , the death toll reached to 29 where as unofficial sources are speaking about a death toll reaching at least to 40 from both military and civilians.
I pray to God that it won’t reach that number. Now it is Friday afternoon and local journalists from North Sinai are sharing lists of names allegedly for dead military . Those local journalists are speaking about a death toll that increase toll reaching to 30.
The army issued a statement late last night , very short statement that can be described as disastrous.
The very short statement did not mention any number of the victims or the casualties, it only mentioned that due to the successful operations against terrorist hotspots in North Sinai and the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood to spoil the anniversary of the “Glorious 25 January revolution” , militants attacked several military checkpoints and locations in Sinai and that’s it !!
Due to the successful operations of the army in Sinai , more people killed in highly coordinated unprecedented attack !! Of course people have been speculating the casualties all night long. From military point of view , you are giving your enemy an upper hand in spreading what ever it wants with the lack of information. I know that the morale department believes that all the likes and support on the social media is enough to continue in that policy but that this is not right.
On the other hand unlike their previous operations , ISIS affiliated Sinai Province “Previously known Agnad Beit Al-Maqdis” issued a short statement on their official twitter account hours after the attack. “Actually some claimed that the fight continued till the morning. Usually it takes weeks before the militant radical group announces its responsibility for similar attacks.
#عاجل#الدولة_الإسلامية#ولاية_سيناء - هجوم موسع متزامن لجنود الخلافة بولاية سيناء فى مدن العريش والشيخ زويد ورفح وإليكم جزء من تفاصيله
— ولاية سيناء (@ABOM7MD301) January 29, 2015It is worth earlier Thursday they published a set photos showing their fighters training in a parade allegedly in North Sinai’s desert.
According to some sources at least 13 civilians were killed including 5 women and 4 children including a baby. This can be the highest human loss for military and civilian in North Sinai in 2015 in a militant attacks. I am waiting for the final official death toll to compare it with the previous attacks.
El-Sisi who was in Ethiopia gave his orders to the minister of defense back in Cairo to hunt down the terrorists wherever they are. As I expected he cut his visit to Ethiopia and returned early morning. The National mourning has not been declared yet. Despite all Egyptian TV channels declared mourning for the death of late Saudi King Abdullah , they did not care to change their programme to cover what is happening in Sinai.Needless to say it seems that they did not receive orders
Personally I am angry , sad and frustrated. I know that we are not winning and yet it seems the regime and its supporters insist that we do not win and pushing the country in to the unknown by adopting the same old populist unsuccessful policies and strategies.
People are hysterical in a scary way , there is no way for logic thinking anymore. I see what happens and I feel that we are three Egypts and not a single.
I am sorry if I seem to be pessimistic but I fear we may wake up one day in a morning that a morning on 5 June 1967 with no Sinai and as usual my generation will pay the price as it is paying price right now.
The story is developing
RIP all Egypt’s martyrs whether military or civilians.