PARIS: The devastating bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, claimed by Islamic State jihadists, show that the influence of the group's extremist ideology remains dangerously intact even after the collapse of its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, experts say.
On Tuesday , a statement released by the Islamist State propaganda agency Amaq said the attackers were"fighters" from the terror network.Zachary Abuza, professor at the National War College in Washington, said the Sri Lanka attacks were a warning of a new jihadist strategy following their military defeat in Iraq and Syria.
"IS has created support groups around the world," he said, adding that some NTJ members were radicalised by the local group then joined IS. But governments and analysts have always warned that the risk of attacks anywhere in the world remains just as high, be it from extremists who fought for IS in Syria and Iraq or those simply inspired by them.
Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor at Sciences Po-Paris, said IS is now adopting what he dubbed a"glocal" strategy by staging local attacks anywhere in a bid to make a global impact. "A half-dozen simultaneous attacks is a serious proposition. It would be very unusual for a group that basically had no track record," he said.