Tarabin Bedouins Declare War On ISIS-Affiliated Militants in Egypt

Members of the Tarabin bedouin tribe have handed over the corpses of four alleged terrorists belonging to the ISIS-affiliated Wilayat Sinai (Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis) to the Military on Friday.

Earlier this week, the Tarabin tribe, the largest bedouin tribe in the Sinai, had announced its full commitment to restoring security to Egypt’s restive North Sinai region by cooperating with the Egyptian Military Forces in attacks on Wilayat Sinai.

According to officials from the Tarabin tribe, there are 200 armed tribesmen  who have committed to the operation to expel ISIS-affiliated terrorists from Egypt, reported Al-Ahram.

Despite initial reports that the Tarabin are working independently, Tarabin tribesmen have confirmed that all operations are carried out in coordination with the Egyptian military and the Egyptian Ministry of Defence.

On live television, Shiekh Mousa al-Dalh, a Tarabin official, urged all tribes in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula to “join together to fight terrorism.”

Wilayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks that have killed hundreds of security forces and civilians since the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Egypt’s Military claims to have killed more than 700 members of the terrorist organization, which pledged allegiance to ISIS earlier this year.