Experts warn of possible al-Qaeda dominance in Sinai

Fears from the dominance of the \"al Qaeda\" on the Sinai Cairo – Akram Ali Egyptian strategy experts have warned of the possibility of al-Qaeda dominance in the Sinai Peninsula, following a security vacuum in the wake of the Egyptian revolution in January 2011. The experts predict Sinai to become a hide-out for  al-Qaeda fighters. This has been refuted by others who believe that the Egyptian security forces have already started to firm up against this potential threat.
Strategy expert Talaat Abu Mossallam in an interview with Arabstoday said:  “Nobody denies that Sinai is going through a security vacuum which is ever-wider since the revolution and it is clear that al-Qaeda is taking advantage of this, especially as the tribal nature of Sinai’s population is prepared to accept al-Qaeda\'s ideology.\"
Abu Mossallam warned that the question now is: \"whether al-Qaeda will succeed in imposing its presence in Sinai, or  whether the security apparatus will act swiftly to nip this potential danger in the bud.”   He believes the  real solution for this crisis lies in a long-term coordination between the army and the military forces  to ensure that  \"this danger is defeated forever.”
Meanwhile,  the head of  al-Gomhureya Centre for Strategic Studies, Sameh Seif al-Yazal, is sceptical that any al-Qaeda fighters are hiding out in the Sinai claiming that there are more than 14,000 Egyptian army officers spread along the border line between Egypt and Israel in Sinai. He added that the army have started a comprehensive campaign against the militant in recent months, to hijack any possibility for extremist dominance in Sinai.
Strategy expert, General  Nabil Fouad, endorsing the words of al-Yazai, said:  “Every security institution around the world suffers some difficulties, and this is what happened with the Egyptian security, which has gone through a very difficult period following the revolution. But the security forces have achieved significant progress recently in dealing with the militant groups in the Sinai, in addition to the army’s support of these security efforts.\"
Fouad added that  Sinai’s population of 500,000 people, if they are classified on an age basis, the youth represent a minor percentage of this figure, and as it is the youth who are most likely to adopt al-Qaeda ideology, we can assume that this danger can be avoided when stability prevails in Egypt”.
Most experts have ruled out that al-Qaeda is  carrying out their activities from Sinai.  However, the same  experts warn of the possibility of al-Qaeda dominance in Sinai if the extremists are given the opportunity to become more organised and become affiliated with the international organisation of al-Qaeda, led by Ayman al-Zawahri.
Sinai has witnessed growing activity of extremist militant groups since the Egyptian revolution, which put an end to the 30 years rule of the ousted President Hosni Mubarak. They have claimed responsibility for attacks against security posts in Sinai, in addition to bombing the gas pipeline passing through Sinai to Israel more than 12 times in one year. While the Egyptian army has disclosed that it has begun a comprehensive campaign against these groups, to end their activities and thwart their plans to establish an \"Islamic Emirate in Sinai.\"