Islamic State – Sinai Province
The Islamic State – Sinai Province (IS-SP; Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية سيناء, al-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah – Wilayah Sīnāʼ) [8] was a branch of the terrorist Islamist group Islamic State that was active in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.
Sinai Province
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (2014-2019) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2019-2022) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2022–2022) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (2022–2023) † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Hajar al-Hashemi (governor/wali)
Abu Osama al-Masri †[1]
Ashraf Ali Hassanein Gharabali †[2]
13 November 2014 – 2023
Egypt
Egypt
Foundation[edit]
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Sinai Province was originally known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM) which has been part of the Sinai insurgency and has been especially active in the Sinai Peninsula since 2011 after the deterioration of security there, focusing its efforts on Israel and the Arab gas pipeline to Jordan. After former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was deposed in the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état,[9] Egypt began a crackdown on jihadist groups in Sinai and elsewhere.[10] ABM and other jihadist groups intensified their campaign of attacks on Egyptian security forces.
During 2014, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM) sent emissaries to IS in Syria to seek financial support, weapons and tactical advice.[11] On 10 November 2014, many members of ABM took an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS.[12][13] It adopted the name Sinai Province and has since carried out attacks, mostly in North Sinai, but also in other parts of Egypt.[3]
Security officials say militants based in Libya have established ties with Sinai Province.[14] On 13 November 2014, ABM dissolved its loyalty to Al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS), and adopted the name Sinai Province (Wilayah Sīnāʼ) claiming to be a branch of IS.[3][15]
The group has killed thousands of Egyptian security personnel, and has also been responsible for attacks on civilians, including the killing of Croatian engineer Tomislav Salopek,[18] in August 2015.