At least 84 dead in Nice as a truck is deliberately driven through the huge crowds marking the anniversary of the French Revolution. The driver who was shot be police after plowing through the crowd for 1.2km is reported to be a French citizen of Tunisian descent. The method of attack which is very similar to one advocated in the ISIS magazine strongly suggests an ISIS /Daesh attack.
At least 84 dead in Nice as a truck is deliberately driven through the huge crowds marking the anniversary of the French Revolution. The driver who was shot be police after plowing through the crowd for 1.2km is reported to be a French citizen of Tunisian descent. The method of attack which is very similar to one advocated in the ISIS magazine strongly suggests an ISIS /Daesh attack.
The massive ISIS bombings in Baghdad that killed nearly 300 this month on 3rd July followed the ISIS defeat in Fallujah and this attack comes on the eve of their defeat in Manbij. There the Kurdish YPG as part of the SDF are engaged in street fighting in the city center and the next stage of their offensive should cut ISiS off from its resupply routes into Turkey. This is probably why I’m the Turkish state has been making noises about normalizing relations with the Assad regime, their next best hope of crushing the revolution in Rojava.
ISIS also lost their top commander, Omar al-Shishani, again their worst terror attacks often follow military setbacks. There are two reasons for this, the first is simply to have something to distract their international followers from their defeats. But the second is because they badly need new recruits to travel to the region and such attacks in Europe are designed with the hope of triggering a racist backlash.
So far after every attack the European far right have tried to give ISIS what it wants but have largely failed to generate the racist programs they also desire. But we can be sure in the days ahead they will try again through Pegida and other front organizations. Trump will play the same game the US. They must not succeed.
It’s probable that the attack on the celebrations of the French Revolution were not just about the date but also the opportunity of crowds on the street. Nevertheless as ISIS sufferers defeat after defeat in Syria at the hands of today’s revolutionaries there it’s useful to understand the symbolism of that date as part of centuries old struggle between those desiring true human freedom for all, and the regressive far right ideologies from ISIS to Pegida.
Words:Andrew Flood (follow Andrew on Twitter)