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Expert: Decisive blow at Islamic State is yet to be delivered

"The recent terror attack in the Karada neighborhood in Baghdad in which about 300 people were killed indicates that the Islamic State has preserved its potential," the scholar said

MOSCOW, July 14 /TASS/. The Islamic State remains powerful, and a decisive blow against this terrorist group, which is banned in Russia, is yet to be delivered, Alexander Ignatenko, the president of the Institute of Religious and Political Studies, told TASS on Thursday.

"I disagree, above all, that success has been achieved in settlements like (Raqqa, Mosul and el-Fallujah - TASS)," he said. "Let’s take Raqqa, for example, the recent offensive of the Syrian troops on that city suffered a setback. There has been some pacification around el-Fallujah but the final battle is still ahead," Ignatenko stressed.

"There is also Mosul in Iraq. The Islamic State still has potential to launch major terror attacks in Baghdad. I mean the recent terror attack in the Karada neighborhood in Baghdad in which about 300 people were killed. It indicates that the Islamic State has preserved its potential," the scholar said.

He also drew attention to the fact that the Islamic State was a territorial organization with branches or the Vilayets in various parts of the globe.

Ignatenko believes that the IS ideology, which attracts Sunni Muslim groups from other countries to its ranks, is one of the main reasons behind its strength.

"I would like to emphasize that I am talking about a certain part of Muslims, apparently inconsiderable, but sufficient enough for persuading 30,000 foreign militants from all countries of the world to resettle to the IS territory to defend the Islamic State," Ignatenko stressed.

"It is a very serious problem. If real or imaginary problems of Sunni Muslims remain unresolved in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the world, the Islamic State will have a long life: its borders and capitals are a different thing," the expert stressed.

The IS defeat on the battlefield will not remove all the problems created by this terrorist organization. "The Islamic State has launched a campaign to bring up children, starting from the age of two, in the spirit of loyalty to the IS ideals and goals.

They bring up militants and suicide bombers. They also bring up the wives of future militants. In case of the IS defeat, the winners will face a dilemma of what to do with these children. "There are thousands of them," Ignatenko stressed.