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Al-Qaeda Tightens Grip in Sinai

(Reuters) Dan Williams - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's counter-terrorism czar told an Israeli-hosted security conference this week Egypt's political entropy had helped reinforce and arm Sinai radicals. "Many jihadists were released from jail....[They] bring into the area many years of experience, knowledge, courage and people who actually do not have anything to lose," said Nitzan Nuriel. He said such militants were flush with weaponry looted in civil war-ravaged countries such as Libya and Yemen. "If you want to buy, today, a mortar or a machinegun or even a MANPAD (anti-aircraft missile), all you need is a few dollars and you get it," Nuriel said. "The level of the threat is much more dramatic than it was a year ago." On a tactical level, al-Qaeda has "benefited in places like the Sinai," said Lorenzo Vidino of the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich. Visiting Egypt last month, Vidino said he had heard "virtually the same assessment from the remnants of the Egyptian security forces, which are concerned with their own security."
2011-09-16 00:00:00
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