As a snake sheds its skin to live and kill another day, Islamic State terrorists who have coiled up on the deserts of Syria are striking with increasing, and deadly, frequency.
In 2019, during the administration of former President Donald Trump, the Islamic State’s ambitions to achieve territorial dominance in Syria and Iraq appeared to have crumbled, as noted by NBC.
But now, military sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal say American forces are increasingly involved in trying to stop the rebirth of a new Islamic State.
A social media post from U.S. Central Command reported that in the first six months of this year, “ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023. The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.”
Defeat ISIS Mission in Iraq and Syria for January – June 2024
From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023. The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is… pic.twitter.com/SaOBS6dkO5
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 16, 2024
In response, the Journal reported, American forces are partnering with the Syrian Democratic Forces to complete airstrikes and surveillance to back up SDF raids aimed at rooting out Islamic State fighters.
“This year has been the worst year since we defeated Islamic State,” said Gen. Rohilat Afrin, co-commander of the SDF.
“No matter how much you knock them down, they’ll try to get up again,” she said.
The SDF has netted 233 suspected Islamic State terrorists through July, with the U.S. providing air power to support two raids in Syria and one in Iraq.
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“What we’re seeing is the movement of men, weapons and equipment,” a U.S. Special Forces officer stationed in Syria told the Journal.
One July raid covering a 10-mile region of villages sent U.S. drones, Apache helicopters and Special Forces troops to sweep eight compounds for Islamic State terrorists.
After the SDF was done detaining suspects, U.S. experts moved in to seize cell phones used by Islamic State planners.
“We do know this absolutely disrupted planned attacks on coalition and SDF personnel,” the U.S. officer said.
Regional officials fear the situation will get worse.
Foreign Policy reported in January that the Biden administration is looking at pulling U.S. forces out of Syria.
“Given the disastrous consequences of the hurried exit from Afghanistan in 2021 and the impending U.S. election later this year, it is hard to grasp why the Biden administration would be considering a withdrawal from Syria. No matter how such a withdrawal was conducted, it would trigger chaos and a swift surge in terror threats,” Foreign Policy wrote, adding, “It has been accepted as an eventual inevitability.”
In #Syria’s Hinterlands, the U.S. Wages a Hidden Campaign Against a Resurgent Islamic State https://t.co/AmBOD0vvCy #isis
— Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert) August 12, 2024
Brig. Gen. Ali al-Hassan, a representative of northeast Syria’s security partners, knows what will happen then, the Journal reported.
“We’ll see chaos like we’ve never seen before. Any withdrawal will cause the immediate activation of sleeper cells,” he said.
“Attention has shifted elsewhere,” the U.S. Special Forces officer said. “But now is not the time to take our eyes off of northeast Syria.”
