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In Egypt's Sinai, Militants Pose a New Threat

(Los Angeles Times) Jeffrey Fleishman - Bedouin tribesmen in Sinai are careful not to exaggerate the radicals' capabilities and suggest they consist of no more than a few hundred Egyptians connected to local cells that have bonded with radicals from Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza. The groups receive weapons, including mortar launchers and high-caliber guns, trafficked from Libya and Sudan. "They think everyone other than them is an infidel," said tribal leader Arafat Khedr Soliman. "They want their own Islamic state." Tensions between tribesmen and militants have deepened in recent months, notably after extremists blew up a mausoleum of a respected religious sheik, claiming that such shrines are against Islam. Tribal leaders who rebuilt the grave site have warned their young that the militants are perverting religion and endangering a way of life.
2012-08-08 00:00:00
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