Egyptian ex-Military Soldiers defect to Terrorist groups in Sinai.

[Mary The Quene]

In Egypt, ex-military men fire up Islamist insurgency

(Reuters) - A small but highly dangerous succession of former Egyptian army officers are joining Islamist militant groups, complicating President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's efforts to counter what he calls an existential threat from extremism.

These men are raising the stakes in an insurgency that has killed hundreds of soldiers and police since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013.

They pose a danger to U.S. ally Egypt with their knowledge of the Arab world's biggest army, provide militants with training and strategic direction, and even carry out suicide bomb attacks against government officials.

Since Mursi was ousted some officers have joined the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) Islamist group and planned and participated in attacks on the army and other facilities, particularly in the Sinai, said Khalil al-Anani, adjunct professor with the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

"We can't talk about a mainstream or a large scale defection toward extremism. We are talking about individual cases that could escape and find a safe haven in Sinai. Yet their attacks are fatal and costly."

As former army chief and head of military intelligence, Sisi is well aware of the Islamist threat from within the military

Looks like Sisi has to worry about his military. Its quite a worrying development that high ranking officers in your army defect to terrorist groups. These men have plans of cities, know military bases and could provide quality training to potential terrorists. If i was Sisi i would focus me on terrorist groups in my own country rather than sending your military to yemen.

This might have quite big consequences for Tourism in the Sinai as coastal towns like Sharm al-sheikh are actually located in the same Sinai region. Also this should be worrying for Israel aswell having Terrorists on your doorsteps who can commit suicide bombings at any time. What do the others think? Do you think it will destabilize the regio even more?

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