Terror group ISIS, which was defeated in both Syria and Iraq, has moved its activities to Egypt’s Sinai and other impoverished areas of the world, such as Kashmir and Somalia, but a portion of it has remained in the two countries and carried out suicide terrorism, Israeli security forces’ reports said according to aawsat.com.
Security sources said that after ISIS’ defeat in Iraq and Syria, there was a significant decline in the group’s capabilities, popular bases, funding and operations, but seeks to reorganize the ranks and spread of its forces.
“This is a development that should be of concern to Israel, all Red Sea countries and the entire Middle East region and the concern of all those who use the Red Sea in the world,” sources said.
According to estimates by the Israeli army and intelligence, the number of ISIS forces in the Sinai reaches several thousands. Most of them were fighters in Iraq and Syria. They were trained and experienced.
Some of them were trained by former officers of the Iraqi Baath Army and participated in combat fighting for three years and more. Some of them came from western armies and joined ISIS in Europe after military service and know a lot about weapons and methods of fighting used by regional armies.
An Egyptian security source said recently that Egyptian authorities had been suspicious that an infiltrator attempted going behind army lines in Sinai, as he continued to aggressively attack army bases and patrols, inflicting heavy damage.
The Israeli estimates for ISIS, which agree with world-wide reports, say that ISIS members at their peak were 40,000 men strong, from 120 countries in the world.
It is estimated that at least one-quarter of them have been killed in Syria and Iraq battles over the past four years, and that a quarter of them have joined al-Qaeda, which continues its terrorist activity at a slower pace. But the others sought a way to escape by paying bribes to border guards and managed to escape through Turkey to various countries of the world.
With the mounting defeats, many fled to Libya. The Israeli report says the number of people who have returned home in Europe is much lower than previously estimated, and does not exceed 1,500. Some of them left the organization and another was preparing to carry out operations on European soil.
Syrian Kurdish forces have arrested several hundred activists who tried to escape via Turkey, detaining them for interrogation involving ISIS methods of operation, network work methods, financing and so on.
