AFP, Baghdad :
The Islamic State group, on the defensive and under heavy pressure in Iraq, has struck back with bloody attacks in Baghdad, where persistent gaps in security increase the city’s exposure.
In doing so, IS can portray itself as still being on the offensive, draw attention away from the setbacks it has suffered, and obtain media attention unrelated to losses.
The spike in Baghdad attacks-which have killed more than 140 people in city over the past seven days-also comes at a time of high political tension in the capital that affords militants an opportunity to sow further discord.
Carrying out bombings is not a new strategy for IS-it has been a key part of the jihadists’ offensive and defensive tactics for years, and the group never fully stopped attacks in Baghdad.
But IS’s attention was increasingly focused outside Baghdad after it overran large areas north and west of the city in 2014, and attacks in the capital decreased.
“Baghdad is now being targeted because the group is on the defensive and they can still hurt the government in their capital,” said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer who is now with The Soufan Group consultancy.
“They still use (bombs) in assaults… But there’s clearly some car and vest bomb makers in the Baghdad belt and in the capital, leading to the increased and likely sustained carnage,” Skinner said.
Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the international operation against IS, cited jihadist battlefield setbacks as the primary motivation for the increase in Baghdad attacks.
But he also said that IS may see political turmoil in the capital as “an opportunity they can try to exploit using truck bombs.”
The increase in attacks coincides with a political crisis over Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s efforts to replace the current cabinet.
The crisis has paralysed the legislature for weeks, and demonstrators angered by lawmakers’ lack of progress stormed parliament last month.
The deadliest of the recent attacks were triple car bombings that hit Baghdad last Thursday, killing at least 94 people, while attacks in three areas of the city on Tuesday killed at least 48 more.
Iraqi security forces performed dismally during the early days of IS’s 2014 offensive, abandoning large quantities of weapons and vehicles as they fled.
The Islamic State group, on the defensive and under heavy pressure in Iraq, has struck back with bloody attacks in Baghdad, where persistent gaps in security increase the city’s exposure.
In doing so, IS can portray itself as still being on the offensive, draw attention away from the setbacks it has suffered, and obtain media attention unrelated to losses.
The spike in Baghdad attacks-which have killed more than 140 people in city over the past seven days-also comes at a time of high political tension in the capital that affords militants an opportunity to sow further discord.
Carrying out bombings is not a new strategy for IS-it has been a key part of the jihadists’ offensive and defensive tactics for years, and the group never fully stopped attacks in Baghdad.
But IS’s attention was increasingly focused outside Baghdad after it overran large areas north and west of the city in 2014, and attacks in the capital decreased.
“Baghdad is now being targeted because the group is on the defensive and they can still hurt the government in their capital,” said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer who is now with The Soufan Group consultancy.
“They still use (bombs) in assaults… But there’s clearly some car and vest bomb makers in the Baghdad belt and in the capital, leading to the increased and likely sustained carnage,” Skinner said.
Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the international operation against IS, cited jihadist battlefield setbacks as the primary motivation for the increase in Baghdad attacks.
But he also said that IS may see political turmoil in the capital as “an opportunity they can try to exploit using truck bombs.”
The increase in attacks coincides with a political crisis over Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s efforts to replace the current cabinet.
The crisis has paralysed the legislature for weeks, and demonstrators angered by lawmakers’ lack of progress stormed parliament last month.
The deadliest of the recent attacks were triple car bombings that hit Baghdad last Thursday, killing at least 94 people, while attacks in three areas of the city on Tuesday killed at least 48 more.
Iraqi security forces performed dismally during the early days of IS’s 2014 offensive, abandoning large quantities of weapons and vehicles as they fled.
