Publication

This paper argues that Egypt should embrace a comprehensive counterinsurgency (COIN) approach to deal with groups affiliated with the so-called Islamic State operating in the Sinai Peninsula. The author also outlines 1) how Egypt’s current counterterrorism efforts have been unable to destroy the terrorist actors in the Sinai or acquire the local Bedouin population’s support for the government; and 2) what Cairo must focus on to establish an effective counterinsurgency campaign in the Sinai, including the need to adopt methods of combat that minimize the impact of operations on the civilian population.