IF the claim of the self-styled Islamic State group of involvement in Wednesday’s Kerman bombings is to be believed, it shows that while the bloodthirsty terrorist group may be down, it definitely is not out. Nearly 90 people, who were observing a memorial for assassinated general Qassem Soleimani in the Iranian city on his death anniversary, perished in the atrocity. Though initially it was unclear who was responsible, a day after the attack IS said two of its fighters carried out the strike. This is not the first time IS has been involved in violent acts inside Iran, though the number of casualties is amongst the highest in decades. In 2022 the extremist outfit said it was involved in bombing a shrine in the city of Shiraz, while in 2017 it struck the Iranian parliament as well as the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini. Muslim states throughout the region should be wary of the possible resurgence of IS, because if the outfit is allowed to reorganise, the bloodcurdling violence it was involved in before it was cut down to size could revisit the Middle East. And considering the extreme geopolitical volatility the region is experiencing, IS could take advantage of the chaos to advance its grim aims.

Interestingly, IS and Israel happen to share the same list of ‘targets’, Iran being chief amongst them. IS had also been involved in massive bloodshed in Iraq and Syria, states that Israel has attacked in the past. In fact Tel Aviv continues to target Syria, in blatant disregard of the latter’s sovereignty. Meanwhile Daesh, as IS is also known, has little interest in the Palestinian liberation struggle. Some Iranian commentators have gone as far as labelling IS a tool of Israel and the US to destabilise the region. While that may or may not be true, the terrorist group certainly shares the same foes as Tel Aviv. In fact Israeli intelligence officials have boasted they are active “from Gaza to Iran”. Muslim states need to stay vigilant, and prevent the resurgence of IS in the Middle East and neighbouring regions, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. This can be done through intelligence sharing and busting transnational cells. Regional states should also keep an eye on malign Israeli activities, as Tel Aviv seeks to sow chaos on foreign soil to divert attention from the massacre in Gaza.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2024