The Islamic State group (IS) has not gone away. The twin suicide bombing in Baghdad on Thursday was a hideous reminder that the group which once controlled a vast swathe of territory across Syria and Iraq is still capable of mounting high casualty attacks in the heart of a city.
In this case its target was the Shia community, whom Sunni jihadists refer to dismissively as rafidain – rejectionists.
“Suicide bombings in major cities have always been a major part of IS strategy of creating sectarian tension and provoking retribution against Sunni populations,” says Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King’s College London.
