ABSTRACT
In February 2018, Egypt launched Operation Sinai 2018 to combat terrorism across the country. The operation entailed the mobilisation of the army, navy and air force, as well as other entities under the Ministry of Interior, such as the Central Security Forces, Border Guard, National Guard and the police. Since 2013, armed groups have carried out large-scale deadly attacks against the Egyptian armed forces in Sinai, with Wilayat Sinai as the key actor in the insurgency. The government has declared publicly on numerous occasions that it has cooperated with tribesmen who provide the military with intelligence, but the information about collaboration is incomplete. Wilayat Sinai is the main non-state armed group operating in Sinai. It evolved from the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, which first emerged in 2011 before changing its name in November 2014 to Wilayat Sinai when it declared allegiance to Islamic State.
