Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula
| Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula | |
|---|---|
| القاعدة في شبه جزيرة سيناء | |
Shahada flag | |
| Leaders | Mohammed Eid Muslih Hamad (POW) (Unknown-2011) Ramzi Mowafi (2011-2014) |
| Dates of operation | 5 August 2006 —2014 |
| Group(s) |
|
| Headquarters | Rafah and Arish Nasr City |
| Active regions | Sinai Peninsula, Egypt and Libya |
| Ideology | |
| Size | Under 40 (2011 Egypt estimate) 7,000-9,000 fighters (2013 estimates by Debkafile) 1,000 (2018 estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations) |
| Part of | Al-Qaeda |
| Allies | State allies
Non-state allies |
| Opponents | State opponents
Non-state opponents |
| Battles and wars | Egyptian crisis (2011–2014) Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) Sinai insurgency Global War on Terrorism |
Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula (Arabic: القاعدة في شبه جزيرة سيناء, romanized: al-Qā‘idah fī shibh Jazīrat Sīnāʼ), or AQSP, was an Egyptian militant jihadist organization possibly formed by a merger between al-Qaeda operatives in Sinai and Ansar al Jihad. It was Al-Qaeda's branch in the Sinai peninsula, and is composed of many Al-Qaeda factions in the area. AQSP made international headlines in November 2014 when the organization pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in a nine-minute audio speech released on Twitter.