Why would Islamic State attack Russia and what will Putin’s response be?
There are practical, historical and ideological reasons why IS would attack Russia.
Russia has been in the cross-hairs of IS for many years. IS leaders, like many Islamic militants, are mindful of Russian support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. A key point made by IS propaganda from Pakistan to Nigeria is that Moscow is part of the broader coalition of Christian or western forces engaged in an existential, 1,400-year-old battle against Islam.
IS statements claiming responsibility for the attack boasted of “killing Christians”.
Leaders of ISKP may also see Russia as supportive of the continued rule of the Taliban, which has repressed them. They will also remember brutal Soviet military operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s and “the Jihad” waged by their fathers or grandfathers against Moscow’s forces. Russia’s bloody war in Chechnya in 1999 may be a factor too.
The attack on Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall is the deadliest attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) on European soil, with 137 people confirmed to have been killed.
On Friday evening, attackers carrying assault rifles entered the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, shooting for nearly an hour as panicked concertgoers scrambled to escape. Then the attackers set the venue on fire.
The death toll is slightly higher than the devastating Paris attacks of 2015, which came at the height of the IS’s power.
Since Friday, events have moved quickly, with four suspects – identified as citizens of Tajikistan by a Russian news agency – appearing in court on Sunday, pleading guilty to being involved.
There are practical, historical and ideological reasons why IS would attack Russia.
Russia has been in the cross-hairs of IS for many years. IS leaders, like many Islamic militants, are mindful of Russian support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. A key point made by IS propaganda from Pakistan to Nigeria is that Moscow is part of the broader coalition of Christian or western forces engaged in an existential, 1,400-year-old battle against Islam.
IS statements claiming responsibility for the attack boasted of “killing Christians”.
Leaders of ISKP may also see Russia as supportive of the continued rule of the Taliban, which has repressed them. They will also remember brutal Soviet military operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s and “the Jihad” waged by their fathers or grandfathers against Moscow’s forces. Russia’s bloody war in Chechnya in 1999 may be a factor too.
The attack on Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall is the deadliest attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) on European soil, with 137 people confirmed to have been killed.
On Friday evening, attackers carrying assault rifles entered the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, shooting for nearly an hour as panicked concertgoers scrambled to escape. Then the attackers set the venue on fire.
The death toll is slightly higher than the devastating Paris attacks of 2015, which came at the height of the IS’s power.
Since Friday, events have moved quickly, with four suspects – identified as citizens of Tajikistan by a Russian news agency – appearing in court on Sunday, pleading guilty to being involved.
