Inside Islamic State's transformation, from life support to 'slaughtering with gusto'

The Islamic State group's group chats were going crazy in the days after the Crocus City Hall attack.

"We can see it in the chats. They're really enthusiastic about this attack, for them it's a morale booster," says an analyst, who wishes to remain anonymous.A combination of factors could have made Russia a target. Although the country's media is state-run, it's influential and competitive: an enticing prospect for IS, which had in January bombed a memorial in Kerman, Iran killing 94 people and injuring almost 300, but with much less global attention.

That's because significant security and intelligence resources have been diverted to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and, the recent presidential election. Although, no-one was ever arrested over the blasts, Putin's strong military response increased his political popularity early in his reign. Some evidence suggests the Kremlin could have been behind the attacks.

Muhammadsobir Fayzov, a suspect in the shooting attack at the Crocus City Hall, had to be wheeled in to court this week. By 2019, US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces had recaptured all of the territory the Islamist group held. Its dreams of conquering the world were over.

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