by Zachary Lucas
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptian military announced that airstrikes had killed a top Islamic State (IS) leader in the Sinai peninsula. Abu Duaa al-Ansari, was the head  of the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis movement that operated out of the volatile region.

The Egyptian military launched a strike against the IS affiliate following “accurate intelligence” that the head of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was near the town of Al-Arish. The Egyptian air force then struck just south of al-Arish and killed 45 ISIS operatives along with Ansari. Egyptian military officials stated that numerous arms and ammunition were also destroyed in the strike. The IS group in the region provided no confirmation of the death of Ansari.

Egypt has been persistently fighting IS in the region following numerous attacks on its personnel. This attack comes after a promise to hunt down IS operatives following attacks that killed Egyptian security officers. The campaign is party of a larger struggle for the Egyptian government to restore stability to the volatile country.

Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, which translates to “Champions of the Holy House,” began operating after the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The group has led attacks against Egyptian security officials and Egyptian infrastructure, including a gas pipeline between Egypt and Jordan. There attacks became deadlier after the ouster of the Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. In 2014, the group pledged allegiance to IS and have since been referred to as Wilayat Sinai or Sinai Province. The IS affiliate receive support from the local tribes in Sinai that have felt neglected by past Egyptian governments.

Sinai Province previously claimed responsibility for the crash of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268. In October 2015, Sinai Province claimed to plant a bomb on the plane which blew up in flight killing 224 passengers. The terrorist attack came after Russia began a bombing campaign in Syria against rebel groups, including IS, in supporter of the Syrian regime.

For more information, please see:

CNN — ISIS leader killed in Sinai, Egypt says — 5 August 2016

Fox News — Leader of ISIS in Egypt’s Sinai killed by air force, sources confirm — 4 August 2016

Haaretz — ISIS Leader in Sinai Killed in Airstrikes, Egyptian Military Says — 4 August 2016

Huffington Post — Egypt Claims To Have Killed The Leader Of ISIS’ Sinai Affiliate — 4 August 2016