Terrorist strike at crowded mosque in Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula over the weekend that killed more than 300 people remained the focus of global media this week.

The Guardian explained the backdrop in which violence unfolded in Sinai. Militants in the peninsula have killed hundreds of police and soldiers, the paper wrote, adding, “the last year has seen them strike Coptic churches and pilgrims further afield in mainland Egypt. Sufi shrines and a 100-year-old cleric have been attacked. But this attack is the first time a mosque there has been targeted [though, like the Mogadishu truck bombing which killed more than 300 people last month, it is a powerful reminder that Muslims are the main victims of attacks by radical Islamist groups].”

Cautioning against rushing into hasty decisions, the newspaper editorialised, “As the rising toll of violence in northern Sinai shows, this is a crisis that has built over decades and accelerated in recent years. Some suggest contributory factors include competition between Daesh and Al Qaida; the collapse of neighbouring Libya, where Daesh were pushed back but have reportedly been regrouping; and the destruction of Daesh “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria — and the ensuing exodus of fighters and weaponry. The experience of other countries shows there is rarely an easy explanation for radicalisation. It also highlights the temptation for governments to rush to extraordinary measures, from tightened restrictions to the brute use of force, in staving off terror attacks.”

Saudi Gazette noted that the fight against terrorism is global and must be tackled accordingly. “Egypt’s government is promoting a more all-inclusive approach, one that treats terrorist groups as part of a larger whole that needs to be confronted comprehensively. To make this system of security measures complete, Egypt must choke off terrorist religious rhetoric through the reform of education, religious leadership and culture, and promote enlightened religious discourse. Unfortunately, some Middle Eastern countries are home to different terrorist groups, each of which poses a very real and present danger to the security, unity and social cohesion of these countries. But such domestic dangers are not the only problem. These dangers are not confined by national boundaries, and they can spill over and spread to other countries in the region and abroad. The national security of a nation is inseparable from regional and international security. These three levels overlap and constantly impact each other. It is, therefore, inconceivable that the fight against terrorism should be confined to the national level. Terrorism is a global phenomenon and the response to it should be commensurate with this reality.”

Elaborating upon the need to take steps to address the long-term issues in Sinai, The Hindu wrote, “Egyptian military has also been under strain on account of regional developments since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya and the resulting chaos in North Africa. The black market trade in weapons from Gaddafi-era depots has strengthened militant groups, including those in the Sinai. Besides, it is suspected that following the more recent collapse of Daesh networks in Iraq and Syria, Egyptian Islamists who were fighting in those countries have returned and joined local networks. This poses a daunting challenge to President Sissi. The battle before Cairo is not just a counter-insurgency mission. It has to defeat the militants and disrupt the supply of weapons, which is a huge challenge given the difficult terrain of the Sinai.”

The Washington Post carried a comment piece that linked the targeting of a Sufi mosque to the long history of insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. “Up until very recently, attacks in Sinai have tended to target police or the military rather than civilians.: Since July 2013, at least 1,000 members of the security forces have been killed in attacks in the peninsula, according to data compiled by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. What remains to be seen is how the government will respond to the escalating threat in Sinai.”