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Source: http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/safe-haven-mount-halal-said-be-refuge-sinai-militants
Will Egypt Target Safe Haven for Sinai Militants?
(Egypt Independent) Ahmed Abu Draa - There is an expectation of an Egyptian army takeover in the next few days of Sinai's cave-filled Mount Halal near the border with Israel. Hiding in the mountain are some 3,000 fugitives and members of militant groups fleeing sentences in absentia, according to tribesmen. Because of the strong connection they have to Bedouin tribesmen who supply them with information ahead of attempted crackdowns, it is difficult to arrest them. After the Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh terrorist bombings in 2004 and 2005, Egypt's Interior Ministry launched a major offensive on the mountain, with a thousand soldiers equipped with armored vehicles and helicopters. The attack lasted for several months, in which two policemen died and three armored vehicles were destroyed, all without directly clashing with the fugitives. Sources say any attempt to penetrate that area is bound to fail if not prearranged with the tribes.