US special forces are working urgently to suppress a revival of the Islamic State in regions where the extremist group once exerted its brutal ideology over vast areas and populations, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The Syrian Badiya desert has become a stronghold for Islamic State’s resurgence. There, the group is training new recruits for suicide missions, orchestrating attacks on allied forces, and laying the groundwork to revive its vision of an Islamic caliphate. This information comes from US and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) officials. The SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition, collaborated with the US to defeat Islamic State five years ago.
The frequency of ISIS attacks in Syria and Iraq has doubled this year. Targets include security checkpoints and the use of car bombs. The group is also plotting to free thousands of its imprisoned members captured during the SDF and US-led coalition’s recapture of the last Islamic State-controlled town.
The war against ISIS officially ended in March 2019, when coalition fighters captured the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz, the last sliver of an ISIS stronghold.
In a largely unreported operation, according to the WSJ, US aircraft provide air support and real-time surveillance for SDF ground troops conducting raids on suspected Islamic State cells. While US forces generally maintain a distance from direct combat, elite units occasionally undertake independent missions to eliminate or capture high-ranking Islamic State leaders.
ELSEWHERE IN ISIS NEWS
Meanwhile, according to Al Hurra, the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) group claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that killed at least one person and wounded dozens in a Shiite-majority neighborhood in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday night.
The group said in a post on Telegram that “a Shiite was killed and 13 others were wounded in a bomb attack” carried out by terrorists affiliated with ISIS-K. Police announced on Sunday that one person was killed and 11 others were wounded when an explosive device exploded on a minibus in a Shiite-majority neighborhood in the Afghan capital.
Islamic State-linked groups have executed deadly attacks globally, notably the dual explosions in Iran’s Kerman and the assault on a Moscow concert hall. However, the organization’s primary attention remains fixed on its former stronghold areas.
BACK IN SYRIA
In the initial half of 2024, ISIS claimed 153 attacks across Syria and Iraq. The group is bolstering its ranks by covertly radicalizing youth in camps housing families of captured ISIS fighters.
ISIS’s current resurgence strategy differs from its previous approach. Instead of large-scale assaults with heavy weaponry, the group now operates in smaller, lightly armed cells.
The Western response, led by the US and France, faces complications due to diplomatic uncertainties and the upcoming US elections, which cloud the future of coalition involvement in the region.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) report capturing 233 suspected ISIS members in 28 operations from January to July. US forces conducted three airstrikes in Syria and one in Iraq this year, with 900 personnel in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq. This marks an increase from last year’s four strikes, with additional support provided to nearly 50 Iraqi air force operations.
SDF ground forces, often supported by US Special Forces, continue to target ISIS cells in northeastern Syria. A notable July operation saw SDF commandos, backed by US forces, striking eight suspected ISIS compounds. According to the WSJ, citing a US Special Forces officer, the SDF apprehended a dozen individuals without any gunfire. After Syrian troops secured the compounds, American commandos entered the buildings and confiscated cell phones, aiming to use their call histories to track down other Islamic State militants.
ISIS IN AFRICA
Through late 2020 and early 2021, ISIS’ African affiliates had once again seized territory and settlements in conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique. Notable takeovers by ISIS include Mocimboa da Praia and the Sambisa Forest. On November 17, 2021, ISIS supporters urged the establishment of New Provinces in Indonesia. In October 2022, ISIS affiliates captured the rural town of Ansongo in Mali.
