Kamal Alam al-Ghoul (Jihadi Militant, Egypt)

• Full name: Kamal Alam Mohammed Ali Hafni al-Ghoul
• Pseudonym: Abu Abdullah
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Sinai
• Affiliation: Islamic State’s Province of Sinai [DaIWS], fmr Partisans of the Holy House [ABaM], fmr Assembly of Monotheism and Jihad in the Sinai [JTJS]

Kamal Alam al-Ghoul (°1977) is an influential Egyptian Bedouin jihadi from the city of Arish. As a young man, he graduated in industrial sciences and performed as a singer at weddings.¹ Ghoul joined the Assembly of Monotheism and Jihad in the Sinai [JTJS; Jama’at Tawhid wal-Jihad fi-Sina’a] in the early 2000s. His role in the group remains unclear. The authorities arrested him in 2003 and he was subsequently sentenced to death.²

Ghoul escaped from prison during the turmoil of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.³ He linked up with his former associates and helped reorganize the remnants of the JTJS. Ghoul was one of the organizers of the Jul. 29, 2011 attack on a police station in Arish.⁴ He was also linked to the 2012 abduction of seven soldiers by militants loyal to the Abu Shita family.⁵ Around the same time, Ghoul began developing contacts with operatives of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham]. He possibly even visited these elements in Libya or Syria.⁶

Ghoul eventually joined the Partisans of the Holy House [ABaM; Ansar Bait al-Maqdis] and became one of its most prolific commanders.⁷ He was responsible for numerous attacks against the security forces and appeared in propaganda videos.⁸ In January 2014, security forces mistakenly reported having killed him during clashes.⁹ Ghoul maintained a low profile and was considered to be dead for a long time until he resurfaced in early 2015.¹⁰ In the meanwhile, Ghoul continued to organize attacks against the army and police. He oversaw several large-scale operations, including the Oct. 24, 2014 multi-pronged attack on a security checkpoint in which 28 soldiers were killed.¹¹

In late 2014, Ghoul acted as one of the driving forces behind the ABaM’s transformation into the Islamic State’s Province of Sinai [DaIWS; Dawlat al-Islamiya Wilayat Sina’a].¹² He initially raised objections over the appointment of an Iraqi as head of the organization.¹³ Ghoul nevertheless became the organization’s top military chief.¹⁴ Nowadays, he personally oversees the special purposes forces of the DaIWS which is comprised of the group’s best fighters and focuses on large-scale operations.¹⁵ Ghoul also leads DaIWS militants around the village of Fayat.¹⁶