BAGHDAD: The World Cup soccer tournament to be held in Russia in June andJuly will be an “attractive target” for Islamic State given Russia’s rolein the territorial defeat of the militant group, the UK-based analysisfirm, IHS, said on Thursday.

“A successful attack (in Russia) would provide a tremendous propagandaboost for the Islamic State and its fighters and supporters, underliningthe ongoing international threat posed by the group despite its territorialdefeat,” an IHS report said.

The participation of the national teams of Saudi Arabia and Iran in thetournament provided an even greater incentive for the group to target it,the report said.

Despite losing all territory in Iraq and Syria by November last year, thegroup claimed major attacks in Istanbul, London, Manchester, Barcelona andTehran, killing dozens of civilians.

It targeted the Muslim holy city of Medina, in Saudi Arabia, in 2016.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still on the run despite thecollapse last year of the caliphate he declared in 2014 over parts of Syriaand Iraq.

Attacks claimed by Islamic State rose slightly in 2017, to more than 4,500,despite its territorial losses, but fatalities from the attacks dropped bytwo-fifths compared with 2016 to about 6,500, the IHS said.

“As it came under growing territorial pressure, Islamic State transitionedback to insurgent operations, conducting a higher tempo of low intensityviolence against security forces and non-state adversaries in areas newlyrecaptured from the group” in Iraq and Syria, said Matthew Henman, head ofIHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center, in the report.