In the latest issue of its weekly paper al-Naba, #ISIS gloats about "the impact" of its deadly attack of 26 Oct on members of a Shia tribe (Bani Tamim) in Iraq's eastern Diyala province /1
The attack in the mixed Sunni-Shia province is clearly designed to reignite sectarian tensions in the hope of creating a Shia backlash against Sunnis that IS can then exploit /2
The attack gave rise to sectarian tensions and recriminations on the political & communal levels, and you can see it playing out online. There were reports of revenge attacks on an adjacent Sunni village. Such tensions on this scale have been largely absent in recent years /3
Diyala has always been extremely sensitive and vulnerable to communal conflict given the mixed sectarian and ethic nature of its population and jihadist activity in the province since 2004. It continues to be one of the Iraqi provinces where IS is mostly active /4
IS is fully aware of sensitives in Diyala and its latest attack on Shia civilians in al-Rashad village is clearly aimed at provoking sectarian counter action. The group has recently sharpened its anti-Shia rhetoric/ messages and attacks in both Afghanistan and Iraq /5
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