Tag Archives: Egypt

ISIS Claims Rocket Attack That Struck Egyptian Military Ship

Islamic terrorist group ISIS says their affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula fired a guided rocket at an Egyptian Navy vessel near Rafah that burst into flame.

The military confirmed a frigate had been pursuing ISIS terrorists near Rafah and had “engaged in gunfire” with the extremists and the ship experienced a fire but said no one had been killed.

The terrorists, however, released a series of photos that appear to show a rocket flying toward an Egyptian frigate, causing a massive explosion and fire.  The terrorists claim everyone on board was killed.

The SITE Intelligence Group told the BBC the missile appeared to be an anti-tank missile.  Witnesses say that other Egyptian military craft rushed to the side of the stricken vessel.

The attack is believed to be the first time the terrorist group has launched a missile attack on a ship.  It raises concerns that they would attempt to disrupt shipping traffic through the Suez Canal.

ISIS has been particularly active in Egypt over the last four weeks.  The group claimed the assassination of the country’s top prosecutor, killing 21 soldiers in the town of Sheikh Zuwaid and Saturday’s bombing of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.

71 Egyptians Get Life Sentence For Burning Christian Church

Seventy-one Egyptians will be spending the rest of their lives in prison in connection with the torching of a Christian church in the Giza province town of Kafr Hakim.

The Virgin Mary Church had been looted by a Muslim mob and then burned to the ground while the crowd chanted for Egypt to become an Islamic state.  The church was one of 42 churches and Christian businesses that were targeted in August 2013 by the Islamists.

Two minors were given sentences of 10 years in prison and $1,300 in fines.

Most of the defendants were convicted in absentia.  Of the 73 convicted, 21 were already in prison on other charges and will now be sent to a prison for their life sentences.

The mob was believed at the time to be connected to the Muslim Brotherhood that backed the deposed President Mohammed Morsi.  Morsi was imprisoned for 20 years in connection with this leadership on acts of violence by the Brotherhood during his time in office.

Defense lawyers claim no evidence presented proved those convicted were seen in the area of the church.  They attacked the judge claiming he was overseeing an unfair trial.  The same judge had previously sentenced 183 Muslim Brotherhood members to death for their part in the killing of 13 police officers on the same day as the church attack.

Air Force Veteran Charged With Attempting To Join ISIS

A U.S. Air Force veteran is jailed on charges of attempting to join the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh is facing charges of attempting to provide material support to terrorists and providing resources to a terrorist organization.  He also was charged with obstruction of justice for destroying thumb drives containing evidence of his online interaction with the terrorist group.

Pugh had lost his job as an airplane mechanic, which was based in the middle east.  After the job loss, he traveled from Egypt to Turkey with the intent of sneaking into Syria.

“Pugh, an American citizen and former member of our military, allegedly abandoned his allegiance to the United States and sought to provide material support to ISI[S],” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said. “Identifying and bringing to justice individuals who provide or attempt to provide material support to terrorists is a key priority of the National Security Division.”

U.S. intelligence officials say that at least 150 Americans are fighting with the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS Burns To Death 45 Iraqis

ISIS has burned alive 45 Iraqi citizens for a variety of alleged crimes against the terrorist’s rules.

Al-Baghdadi Local Police Chief Qasim al-Obeidi told the BBC that some of those killed were members of the Iraqi Security Forces which has been the main force fighting to stop the spread of ISIS.

The massacre comes as the State Department’s main spokeswoman, Marie Harf, says that ISIS can’t be beaten by force.

“We’re killing a lot of them, and we’re going to keep killing more of them,” she stated. “So are the Egyptians, so are the Jordanians. They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war.”

“We can work with countries around the world to help improve their governance,” she said. “We can help them build their economies so they can have job opportunities for these people.”

The ISF is working to drive ISIS out of al-Baghdadi but has been unable to dislodge the terrorists.

Egypt Bombs ISIS In Libya

Egyptian planed bombed ISIS targets in Libya Monday in a direct response to the terrorist’s killing of 21 Coptic Christians shown in a video this weekend.

The planes struck militant camps, training sites and at least one weapons storage area.

The terrorists have taken advantage of the unstable government in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.  The strikes by the Egyptian military are the first direct actions in Libya’s territory by the new Egyptian government.

The military issued a call to terrorists to say that Libya is not a safe haven for anyone who would issue a terrorist attack.

“And let those near and far know that the Egyptians have a shield that protects and preserves the security of the country, and a sword that eradicates terrorism,” the Egyptian military said in a statement.

The current Libyan government also participated in the attacks on ISIS.

Pope Francis issued a condemnation of the killings, saying that the 21 were killed only because they were Christians.

Middle East observers say the action by Egypt are part of a campaign of leaders in the region to tell ISIS they will not be moved.

“It’s swift and decisive, it’s not about strategy, it’s about containing anger within Egypt,” said Hassan Hassan, co-author of a book on Islamic State.

“Just like in Jordan, it’s more about saving face, saying: ‘You can’t mess with us’. …. It’s likely to evolve into a sustained strategy of helping in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State) in neighboring countries.”

ISIS Video Shows Massacre Of 21 Christians

ISIS released a video on Sunday of terrorists loyal to ISIS beheading 21 Coptic Christians.

The Libyan terrorists marched the Christians down a beach, lined up them up and then beheaded each of them.

“Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for,” a knife-wielding militant says on camera.  “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”

The terrorists identify themselves as the Tripoli Province of the Islamic State.  The terrorists have claimed to be holding the 21 Christians for weeks.

The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period for the slain Christians.  President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to “the victims of terrorism” according to a Presidential statement.

Egyptians have fled to surrounding nations to find work in the wake of the 2011 Islamist uprising in Egypt.

State Department Hosts Muslim Brotherhood

The State Department welcomed Muslim Brotherhood aligned leaders to discuss their ongoing effort to undermine the government of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The group has been seen taking provocative photos during their trip where they are flashing the Islamist group’s four finger hand signal and the posting those photos to social media sites.

The State Department is maintaining a dialogue with the group because of their continued involvement in the Egyptian political spectrum.

“The State Department continues to speak with Muslim Brothers on the assumption that Egyptian politics are unpredictable, and the Brotherhood still has some support in Egypt,” Eric Trager of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told the Washington Free Beacon. “But when pro-Brotherhood delegations then post photos of themselves making pro-Brotherhood gestures in front of the State Department logo, it creates an embarrassment for the State Department.”

Terrorism expert Patrick Poole said the meeting is an insult to our Egyptian allies.

“What this shows is that the widespread rejection of the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East, particularly the largest protests in recorded human history in Egypt on June 30, 2013, that led to Morsi’s ouster, is not recognized by the State Department and the Obama administration,” Poole said.

“This is a direct insult to our Egyptian allies, who are in an existential struggle against the Muslim Brotherhood, all in the pursuit of the mythical ‘moderate Islamists’ who the D.C. foreign policy elite still believe will bring democracy to the Middle East.”

Unity Government To Take Control of Gaza

In what is likely an attempt to strengthen their hand before talks with Israel in October, Islamic groups in the Gaza strip have agreed to allow a unity government to take control of the region.

The ceasefire that had been struck in August between Israel and Hamas called for the Palestinian Authority to take over as civil administration for the region.  The deal with Hamas and Fatah announced today in Cairo calls for the unity government to take over immediately.

The deal was brokered by Egyptian intelligence services.

“All civil servants will be paid by the unity government because they are all Palestinians and it is the government of all Palestinians,” said Azzam Ahmed of Fatah on Thursday.

The groups reportedly have agreed to eliminate “all the obstacles” to a national unity government.  They will also negotiate with the UN and Israel over border crossing access.

However, in what might be a blow to potential talks, the leaders of the unity government said they want Israel tried for war crimes.

Locust Swarm In Madagascar Described As “Biblical”

A missionary in Madagascar is reporting that a locust swarm that descended on the nation’s capital is of “Biblical” proportions.

The insects overran the capital of Antananarivo in large clouds.  Roadways were brought to a virtual standstill because of the amount of crushed insects creating slick roads.

“It reminds us of the 10 plagues of Egypt,” missionary Ronald Miller told ABC News.

The plague of locusts is mentioned in Exodus 10:

“And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such,” verse 14 reads. “For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.”

The government blames the outbreak of the locusts on high temperatures, saying that’s the reason for the insects to invade the city.  The country is under a national disaster declaration and is expected to spend $41 million to try and control the outbreak.

The Food and Agriculture Organization says without treatments, the outbreak could completely wipe out crops and destroy the livelihood of 9 million who make a living from farming.

Hamas Claims Ceasefire Is “Triumph Over Israel”

An open-ended truce in the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas goes into effect tonight but it is not being billed as a cease-fire by the terrorists.

Hamas sent out a graphic of three Palestinian gunfighters pointing weapons at an Israeli soldier who was raising his hands in the air while holding a white flag.  The caption on the graphic says “and so Gaza has triumphed.”

Hamas also had their members take to the streets after the beginning of the cease-fire to celebrate their “victory.”

Mosques throughout the Gaza strip were broadcasting messages of celebration and celebratory chants of “Allahu Akbar” while Palestinians who had been in shelters because of the conflict made their way outside.

Hamas launched a final barrage of rockets toward Tel Aviv just before the start of the cease-fire.

Israeli officials, however, say the deal does not include any of Hamas’ demands including an airport and a seaport.  No prisoners were going to be released as part of the Egyptian-brokered agreement.