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Barcelona terror attacks: Weak Islamic State resorting to desperate measures?

Islamic State (IS) appears too eager to claim that it was behind Barcelona terror attack. These days, whenever there is a news of any "Islamic Terror Attack", IS will make haste to own up the attack. This growing impatience on part of IS reveals growing frustration and insecurity within the outfit to remain an effective terror threat. 

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Islamic State (IS) appears too eager to claim that it was behind Barcelona terror attacks. These days, whenever there is a news of any "Islamic Terror Attack", IS will make haste to take credit for it. This growing impatience on part of IS reveals growing frustration and insecurity within the outfit to remain an effective terror threat. 


Islamic State losing territory

Mosul is now under the control of Iraqi forces and IS is fast losing stronghold even in Syria. Recent losses have severely damaged the reputation of IS which declared a caliphate, or Islamic territory, back in 2014. According to some reports, Since 2014, it has lost about 60 percent of its territory and most of its population. Islamic State has largely been reduced to a jihadi outfit having a strong presence on the Internet through its propaganda machine but fast losing the territorial gains it had made initially. 

Crackdown on funding

United States along with other countries who have been raging war against the influence of IS have managed to choke IS funding.  Many bank accounts having an affiliation with the terror outfit have been seized. Illegal sale of crude oil by IS, which is a major source of its earnings, has also been checked. 

This has managed to upset finances of IS which has considerably hampered its terror operations. There have been reports which reveal that the IS group is finding it hard to pay its mercenaries well. This means some of the charms of earning a lot of money while fighting for IS has vanished for the mercenaries. It's is widely known that many IS fighters join the outfit for their love for money and women. 

Surviving on propaganda
IS has managed to influence and motivate its supporters through its social media messages and propaganda channels, using the internet as the medium. The terrorist outfit has spent a lot of money and time to create high-quality audio and video materials to spread their ideology and messages. Though security agencies keep blocking the spread of hate-speech, it always remains a challenge and a lot needs to be done to achieve desired results. 

Lone-wolf attacks
Those inspired by IS ideology sometimes decide to carry out terror attacks on their own. This suit IS as these are local attacks and don't require IS to indulge in extensive planning and also hide it from the security agencies. Sometimes IS is known to extend some support to the Lone-wolf, but that doesn't require any special effort. After the attacks, IS is please to take responsibility.

Vehicle terror attacks as last resort
IS is finding it hard to carry out any big organised terror attacks which require long planning and careful execution. So vehicles have become weapons of jihadist terror outfit Islamic State. Vehicles are readily available and there is little or no-training required. Basic coordination or planning can do the job. This means intelligence agencies practically have no chance to spot the attackers during the planning and execution process.

Vehicle attacks actually speak about diminishing capabilities of IS as a cadre based terror outfit. It also highlights strong capabilities of security forces which have managed to bring down incidents of terror attacks and forcing terror outfits to resort to desperate measures. 

Recent vehicle terror attacks

Nice terror attack:14 July 2016
A 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. 86 people died and 458 others got injured. 
 
Christmas market in Berlin: 19 December 2016
A truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured.

London, Westminister: 22 March 2017
The attacker drove a care into pedestrians on the pavement along the south side of Westminster Bridge and Bridge Street, 
injuring more than 50 people, four of them fatally. 

London Bridge:  3 June 2017
The van that was driven into pedestrians, crashed, forcing the three male occupants to run to the nearby Borough Market pub and restaurants. The attackers stabbed people with long knives. Eight people were killed and 48 others got injured. The three attackers were all shot dead.

Finsbury Park
On 19 June 2017, a van was driven into pedestrians in Finsbury Park, London, injuring at least eight people. 

 

 

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