Erdogan: The escaping of ISIS’s Elements from Raqqa to Sinai

The process of the Salhiya farm in Sharqiya reveals changing in ISIS’s strategy of targeting the vital installations

By: Hossam Haddad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made serious statements during a meeting of the parliamentary bloc of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the Turkish parliament in early December, in which he stressed that the elements of ISIS in Raqqa moved to Sinai in Egypt.

Days later, the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, on Sunday, December 24, 2017, in an official statement, that one of the farms was targeted in the Salhiya district of Sharqiya in the Nile Delta north of Cairo, and the forces were surprised to fire at them, and the forces killed nine elements in the farm.

The security forces found seven automatic rifles, as well as a quantity of ammunition, various calibers and a quantity of means of subsistence, and some regulatory papers.

Target vital installations

The monitoring and follow-up operations carried out by the Ministry’s agencies are resulted the identification of one of the terrorist foci in Cairo, where a security strike was directed at their hideouts, which resulted in the seizure of 9 elements.

The ministry added in its statement: “The information confirmed the involvement of the referred elements in planting of IEDs and targeting of some of the security centers and military mechanisms in North Sinai, which led to the death of a number of armed forces and police. They also planned to carry out a series of hostilities against vital installations in the province.

ISIS in Sinai

Erdogan did not reveal more details about the number of terrorists who had moved to Sinai or how they entered Egyptian territory.

Sinai is a battlefield

The qualitative development that took place in the last attack of ISIS, which targeted the airport of El Arish in northern Sinai on December 19, also confirms the supportive Erdogan’s talk to the international organization of the terrorist group, which confirms that the organization «ISIS» changed its offensive strategy, on one hand and on the other hand, the attack for ISIS is to prove a presence after receiving repeated defeats in recent months in Egypt, Iraq and Syria.

Leaving Syria and facilitating the smuggling of terrorists

“The safe departure of many ISIS fighters from al-Rigga has been one of the unanswered battle riddles so far, especially as the alliance of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian regime forces have driven out foreign militants, but they have already gone out,” the Times newspaper reported.

The Times said that the Turkish authorities and the Syrian factions loyal to them have arrested dozens of elements «ISIS» while crossing or trying to cross the Turkish border, using the smuggling routes.

“I have benefited from the movement that followed the evacuation of the city to leave for Turkey and that many people did it, about half of them fighters, and it was an easy way to cross,” the newspaper quoted from Hamadi (26) the Damascus-based ISIS’s fighter.

“Even if Kurdish forces arrest you, you will be held for 10 to 15 days and then released.” The fighter added.

Hamadi’s testimony reinforces fears that fighters who have been allowed to leave the area are now on their way to other countries to carry out attacks.

Recruiting elements

In addition, factions of the pro-Turkish Syrian opposition arrested some elements of ISIS in Elraay town last month. thay used this town as a recruiting station for foreign fighters before being controlled by these factions during the Operation Euphrates Shield,  and became the return station for the elements of «ISIS» pay each of them $ 300 for smuggling to Turkey.

A safe exit for the militants

The Syrian Democratic Forces and the International Alliance allowed the departure of some ISIS militants and their families from Al-Rigga before they fell in October, but later it turned out that hundreds of armed men, including dozens of foreigners, managed to Turkey.

Hamadi said that he crossed many villages and towns until he reached the Syrian border and was not asked by the Kurdish forces. He claimed that he worked in the immigration department in al-Rigga and defected from “ISIS”.