the Islamic State and Russia have “a blood debt that goes back several years”, analyzes a jihadism specialist after Daesh’s claim

Journalist Wassim Nasr, a specialist in jihadism, reacted Friday on franceinfo to the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the attack on a concert hall near Moscow. A claim to be taken seriously according to him.

The Islamic State and Russia “have a long dispute […] there is, in quotes, a blood debt that goes back several years“, analyzes Friday March 22 on franceinfo Wassim Nasr, journalist at France 24 and specialist in jihadism. He reacts after the claim of the IS which claims to be behind the shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow, which at least 40 dead, according to the Russian authorities. For the specialist, this claim should be taken seriously, “It’s entirely plausible.”he adds.

Franceinfo: The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the attack in Russia on Telegram, can we take this claim seriously?

Wassim Nasr: It is officially claimed by the Islamic State, giving some details in the claim, saying for example that the attack was carried out by IS soldiers and that they left unharmed. This is entirely plausible given that the Americans warned Moscow of the imminence of an attack and that Russia has been one of the targets of ISIS for several years. There are several Russians – whether from the Chechen Republics or Ingushetia – who have been recruited into the ranks of ISIS and even Russians from Russia and not from other Republics.

Why would ISIS have an interest in attacking Russia?

Because they have a long dispute and there is, in quotes, a “blood debt” between Russia and ISIS which goes back several years, to the war in Syria or Chechnya. Furthermore, at one point, ISIS had a form of emirate in the Caucasus which was completely eliminated by the Russians. Russian prisons are also full of jihadists from IS or other factions, so the dispute is very old.

With the war in Ukraine or that in the Middle East, have we forgotten the Islamist threat?

In any case, they have not forgotten because all these geopolitical torments are breaches, openings, on which IS, obviously, will capitalize. Their objectives are always the same, no matter what happens elsewhere: when they have the opportunity to strike one of their designated enemies, in this case the entire world, they do it. The dynamic of IS is to capitalize on pre-existing groups, pre-existing guerrillas, take their allegiance, give them their know-how, the “all-in-one” of IS. Ultimately the group acts in the name of ISIS but these are people already established in these areas. It was not Syrians and Iraqis who fled to act in Russia. There is not a theater of war today where they are not established.