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Israeli - al Qaeda clash in Negev
Three uniformed al Qaeda infiltrators from Egypt lose two men in first direct clash with Israeli troops in the Negev. One Israeli soldier slightly hurt. The infiltrators tossed grenades at the Israeli patrol before dawn June 2 from an ambush near Mt. Sagi, 10 km from the Nitzana-Eilat highway in southern Israel. Two were killed by return fire, the third escaped across the border to Egyptian Sinai. Two Kalashnikov rifles, 9 ammo clips and a radio were found by the bodies, disguised in the uniforms of Egyptian officers. DEBKAfiles counter-terror sources tie the incident to a battle staged Wednesday night, May 31, between an Egyptian special unit and a large al Qaeda band bound for another attack on the Multinational Force base at Al Gora near El Arish in northern Sinai. The terrorists carried rifles, explosives and grenades for a mass strike against the mostly US and Canadian peacemakers. The Egyptians captured 35 of the assailants. Many of them were Palestinians recruited to Musab al Zarqawis Sinai network. Two of the Palestinians were named as Hamad Abu Kabal, 27, a student at the El Arish branch of Cairo University, and Yusuf Mohsein. Their initial interrogation by Egyptian intelligence revealed that Zarqawis Sinai-Gaza network is in the first stages of a new offensive in Sinai, aimed at seizing and massacring a large number of Israeli and Western holidaymakers as well as strikes inside Israel. It now operates as Al Qaeda-Palestine, dedicated according to its communiqués to attacks on The Children of Zion. Israeli security heads are disturbed by the growing number of Palestinians joining al Qaeda. The triple bombing attack at the Dahab resort of April 24, the repeated attempts to hit the MFO and the infiltration of Israel Thursday night come together to indicate al Qaedas numbers, infrastructure and reach are expanding and attacks on Israel are integral to its targeting aims. DEBKAfiles military sources report that the tasks of breaking up al Qaedas Sinai operation, curbing its penetration of the Gaza Strip and holding back its border incursions into southern Israel are way beyond the capabilities of Egyptian security. Posted by: Steve 2006-06-02 |
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