Diyala attacks follow old Zarqawi terror strategy
The Diyala attacks in January may have been intended to stir up a Sunni-Shiite war to drive Sunnis into the Islamic State’s arms.
The Islamic State is reviving an old ploy designed to recruit Sunnis by fomenting sectarian hatred. The January suicide bombings in Diyala province, which exemplify the strategy, heightened the fever between Shiites and Sunnis, especially as each side accuses the other of perpetrating the attacks.
Some Sunni parties accuse the Shiite Popular Mobilization Units of attacking and burning down mosques, while Shiites point the finger at Sunnis, accusing them of supporting and protecting IS fighters.
