Bedouin tribes in the Sinai Peninsula have recently begun to shed their long-maintained neutrality to partner with the Egyptian military in its fight against the Sinai branch of ISIS and other terror organizations.

In the past, Sinai residents have found themselves in a deadly dilemma. If they helped the government, they risked retaliation from terrorists. But refusing such to cooperate with the government could lead to charges of supporting terrorism.

Now, it seems, this dilemma has been resolved. Tribal groups in northern Sinai have clashed directly with terrorist organizations operating in their region. This began after the terror organizations killed some tribesmen and imposed restrictions on their traditions.

The Egyptian army praised the tribes’ growing struggle against ISIS, and stressed that the fight against terrorism in Sinai is the task of locals as well as security forces. A senior army officer told the newspaper al-Arab (Arabic link) that only cooperation between the locals and the army would allow the eradication of terrorism in the Sinai.

It has also been reported that younger tribal members are being recruited to join special battalions of the Egyptian army. The young tribesman will receive special anti-terror military training and provide the army with valuable topological information to assist in the fight against the terrorists.

The coordination between the main Sinai tribes and the Egyptian military may increase the pressure on the terrorists in the peninsula. Tribal sources have said that ISIS’s Sinai affiliate, previously named Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, was shocked and frustrated when it learned that tribal members had joined the army. The organization is now trying to disrupt the partnership, and has already distributed flyers warning residents of the consequences of working with the military.

The Egyptian army has been operating for several months in the Sinai Peninsula under a state of emergency in order to identify and root out terrorist cells operating there. Hundreds of security forces have been killed by terrorists in the Sinai since the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood- backed Mohamed Morsi as president of Egypt in July 2013. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis—previously the main terrorist organization in Sinai—pledged allegiance to ISIS late last year and has conducted a number terrorist attacks since then.

[Photo: Levantine Group / YouTube ]