Sinai based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) have pledged allegiance to the extremist ‘Islamic State' group. In an audio recording released in the early hours of Monday morning via the group's Twitter account, which it uses to publish statements. The recording was entitled ‘pledge of allegiance to the Caliph of Muslims Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and joining the Islamic State'. The group called for "all Muslims" to also pledge allegiance to Al-Baghdadi, who was named Caliph Ibrahim following the group's decision to establish an Islamic Caliphate. Speaking directly to Egyptians, the group stated that it is "no use to continue with shameful peace or blasphemous democracy" and called on Egyptians to fight against the armed forces. They also labelled President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi a "despicable tyrant" and accused him of killing the "sons" of Egyptians. ABM has been Egypt's most active militant groups over the last year, specifically targeting the security apparatus of the state. The group is based mostly in the volatile Sinai Peninsula but has also carried out attacks in the greater Cairo area including an assassination attempt on Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim. The self-styled ‘Islamic State' Sunni militants have claimed large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria taking advantage of the security situation in Syria and launching a surprise offensive in Iraq in June. Additional Reporting by Menna Zaki
