A bloody attack by Islamic State provides a chilling warning of the terror group’s resurgence

Last week’s suicide bombings in Kerman may have surprised Western governments – having declared the militant group ‘defeated’ in 2019, writes Robert Verkaik. But to those who have closely watched the spread of Isis terror campaigns, the attack confirms the group has not lost its murderous ambitions

People pray over the flag-draped coffins of victims of the bomb that exploded during a funeral service in the city of Kerman, Iran (AP)

The bomb attacks that last week killed and wounded 400 mourners attending the commemoration of a former commander in Iran sparked immediate promises of retribution and fears of an escalation of war in the Middle East.

But while some Iranian officials initially sought to blame Israel, the suicide attacks were claimed by Islamic State (IS) – providing a bloody and chilling reminder of the resurgence of a terror group that was supposed to have been defeated four years ago.

The attack, the deadliest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, targeted a service for General Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in Iraq in 2020 in an American drone strike.