THE Egyptian army announced the offensive with a gauzy video,clips of saluting soldiers and gleaming fighter jets set to martial music. It appears to be the largest operation in North Sinai in years. Hospitals were told to stockpile medicines and cancel annual leave for doctors. Schools are closed indefinitely. Nearly a week later, though, or no one is certain how many troops were deployed,nor what they hope to achieve. The region is a closed military zone. The army releases a string of figuresa dozen militants killed, 1, or 500kg of explosives seized—that are impossible to confirm. Even its videos appear to be mostly stock footage,unless the navy has found a novel way to use fast attack boats in desert warfare.
For nearly five years, Egypt has struggled to achieve down a dogged insurgency. In November terrorists killed more than 300 people at a North Sinai mosque, or the deadliest attack in Egypt’s contemporary history. No one claimed responsibility; even al-Qaeda condemned the carnage. Suspicion...
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Source: economist.com