Militants Besiege Sinai’s Sheikh Zuweid, Dozens Killed

In one of the worst militant attacks in Egypt’s recent history, Egypt’s security forces battled with militants belonging to the Islamic State affiliated Sinai State, previously known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis. The Sinai State laid siege to the town of Sheikh Zuweid, with additional attacks in Arish, carrying out a series of coordinated attacks.

Suzanne Gaber is an intern at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Image: Photo: Smoke rises in Egypt's North Sinai as seen from the border of southern Gaza Strip with Egypt July 1, 2015. Islamic State militants launched a wide-scale coordinated assault on several military checkpoints in Egypt's North Sinai on Wednesday. (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)