Mosque attack suggests IS aims to make Sinai Peninsula its new base

ON FRIDAY, at least 305 people died when terrorists attacked a Sufi mosque in the Sinai Peninsula. So far, no organization has claimed responsibility. However, the Islamic State is the main suspect. According to Egypt’s state prosecutor, militants flying the Islamic State group’s black banner had surrounded the mosque and massacred the worshippers during weekly Friday prayers. Ifeng.com comments:

Since earlier in the week both Iran and Iraq had claimed IS had been defeated, IS leaders would naturally want to remind the world about their existence as well as unite their own forces, as the Iraqi government stressed the threat of terrorist attacks remains.

Also, IS leaders might have required their Sinai supporters to launch the attack in order to prove their allegiance.

Most of the previous attacks launched by IS in Sinai have been targeted at the military forces there, but this time they attacked Sufis whom the group has branded heretics. They did so in order to clear any possible opposition.

It is an undeniable fact that IS is losing the territory it had seized in Iraq and Syria. For the extremists, there is no choice but to “strategically shift” to neighboring countries. They are looking to establish a new base, because by occupying territory they can mobilize more resources.

The Sinai Peninsula is probably one of their options, because the other directions have already been blocked by the coalition forces of Shiite Islamic countries, the United States, and Russia. If IS plans to regroup in Sinai, it might have required terrorists there to launch attacks first to prove they are “loyal” and “reliable”.

As early as 2015, there were reports of serious loopholes in the security of some smart watches. Now it is reported that hackers can not only locate the children wearing these devices, but also listen to their daily conversations and make records of their daily activities.

Besides, certain brands of smart watches reportedly emit high levels of radiation, which may pose a health risk. It seems the products designed to protect children may actually pose a threat.

There are many reasons for this, but a major one is the lack of national standards for the design, manufacturing and quality control of children’s smart watches.

In March, the consumers’ association in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, co-drafted an official document with several government departments, outlining quality standards for children’s smart watches. Earlier this month, they held a public hearing on the document, and the final version is expected to be released soon.

That is a positive move. We hope there will be similar efforts at the national level, too.

Fortunately, there has been no major incident involving children’s smart watches yet. We hope the departments responsible will draw up national standards as soon as possible to ensure that remains the case.