Commentaries, Analysis, And Reaction To Yesterday's Sinai Mosque Attack

Declan Walsh and David Kirkpatrick, New York Times: In Egypt, Furious Retaliation but Failing Strategy in Sinai

CAIRO — After militants massacred 305 people at a packed mosque on Friday in a stunning assault on a sacred place, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi responded as he knows best.

Mr. Sisi went on television vowing to “take revenge” and strike back with an “iron fist.” Moments later, Egyptian warplanes swooped over the vast deserts of the Sinai Peninsula, dropping bombs that pulverized vehicles used in the assault. Soldiers fanned out across the area.

But that furious retaliation, which follows years of battle in Sinai against a vicious Islamic State affiliate that downed a Russian passenger jet in 2015 and has regularly attacked Egyptian security forces there, revived the most troubling question about Mr. Sisi’s strategy in the desert peninsula: Why is it failing?

One of the most striking aspects of the carnage that unfolded on Friday, the deadliest terrorist attack in Egypt’s modern history, was how easy it was for the militants to carry it out. In a statement issued on Saturday, Egypt’s prosecutor general, Nabil Sadek, described the grisly scene in forensic detail.

Between 25 and 30 gunmen, traveling in five vehicles and carrying an Islamic State flag, surrounded a Sufi mosque on all sides in Bir al-Abed, a dusty town on a road that arcs across the sandy plain of North Sinai.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Reaction To Yesterday's Sinai Mosque Attack

Egypt’s options dwindling in its fight against militants -- AP
Sinai Attack: For Israel, the Failure by Egypt's Security Forces Is Astonishing -- Haaretz
Egypt Is Failing to Deal With Its Sinai Insurgency -- New York Times
Sinai mosque massacre: What we know -- Aljazeera
Who Was Behind the Mosque Attack in Egypt's North Sinai? -- Egyptian Streets
Mosque attack is a testament to Egypt's impotence in Sinai -- The Times of Israel
Sinai Attack: Egypt Is Turning Into Afghanistan, Where Permanent War Is Part of Life -- Haaretz
Why Are Muslims Killing Muslims? Egypt Suffers Worst Terror Attack In History -- Newsweek
Sinai mosque attack — it was a massacre in every sense of the word -- Arab News
Sufi Islam: What you need to know -- Chase Winter, DW
A look at the deadliest militant attacks in Egypt -- AP

Reaction To Yesterday's Sinai Mosque Attack

Egypt's president vows to avenge mosque attack victims as death toll rises -- Sky News
Egyptians express outrage after attacks kill more than 300 -- The Jerusalem Post
Hamas, Hezbollah join Israel and US in condemning Egypt mosque attack -- The Jerusalem Post
Trump calls Egypt's Sisi offering condolences over North Sinai mosque attack -- Ahram Online
Putin sends condolences to Egyptian president over Sinai attack -- Xinhua
UK ready to help in any way, May tells Egypt´s president after mosque atrocity -- Daily Mail
France's Macron calls El-Sisi after Friday's North Sinai mosque attack -- Ahram Online