Explainer-What is Islamic State, the group linked to this week's Damascus bombs?

Bomb blasts near a Damascus hotel where President Macron had stayed wounded 18 people and preliminary probes point to an Islamic State-linked cell, overshadowing his visit.
Islamic State has shifted from holding territory to operating as scattered, clandestine cells across Syria, Iraq and beyond, making attacks harder to predict.
The group’s affiliates and inspired attackers have carried out high-profile, deadly strikes worldwide, and Africa has become a major focus of its activity.