Concerns about the resurgence of Islamic State in Syria remain high following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime and an increase in attacks targeting the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
President-elect Donald Trump may well face a new battle against the extremist group, as the SDF faces the reality of having to divide its focus between threats from ISIS and Turkey.
The SDF said on Saturday that five soldiers were killed in an attack by Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria, Reuters reported.
Syrian Kurdish refugees drive vehicles laden with belongings on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway as they flee areas on the outskirts of northern Aleppo, once controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Regime fighters stand on the roadside. , after being captured by Islamist-led rebels on December 2, 2024. (Rami Al Said/AFP via Getty Images)
President Trump says Turkey has carried out an 'unfriendly takeover' in Syria as US-brokered ceasefire appears to have failed
The attack came as the United States and Self-Defense Forces stepped up efforts to counter ISIS, following an apparent breakdown in a ceasefire agreement brokered by the Biden administration.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that his “single biggest concern” is the resurgence of ISIS, which was deemed “defeated” in 2019.
“ISIS loves a vacuum,” he said, noting that extremist groups use power struggles to gain a foothold in places like North Africa. “What we are seeing now in Syria is an area that is essentially ungovernable due to the collapse of the Assad regime.
“Our goal is to ensure that we support the Kurdish SDF and keep ISIS in check,” he added.
Comrades attend the funeral of five Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters who were killed in a clash with Turkish-backed rebels in Manbij, Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on December 14, 2024. (DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States has long fought an operation against ISIS in Syria with the support of Kurdish coalition forces, even though Turkey views the SDF as similar to the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). ) and a partnership with the United States. Ankara is a NATO ally.
“The SDF and the Assad regime were ISIS' primary adversaries,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of The Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. “With the former disappearing and the latter coming under pressure from Turkish proxies, concerns about the expansion of ISIS are justified.”
“Turkey wants to destroy the SDF,” Roggio acknowledged. “Turkey has a great opportunity to destroy the SDF and will take advantage of this unique situation. We look forward to the attack.”[s] Oppose the increase in the Self-Defense Forces. ”
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The Biden administration has already taken steps to ramp up operations against ISIS, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) saying it struck more than 75 locations in a major attack against known “ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps” earlier this month. ) admitted.
A soldier from the U.S.-led coalition gestures to schoolchildren during a joint U.S. and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) patrol in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria on February 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Keleman)
The operation coincided with the fall of Damascus on December 8, following the total occupation of Aleppo, Hama and Homs by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) backed by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). It was done at the same time.
Additionally, CENTCOM conducted a precision airstrike in eastern Syria on Thursday, killing ISIS leader Abu Yousif aka Mahmoud. According to Syrian news agencies, this is an area where ISIS was able to carry out attacks. capture the armory He belonged to the former Syrian army under the Assad regime, which is in the midst of “turmoil.''
SDF forces trying to crush the ISIS insurgency on Sunday captured 18 suspected ISIS terrorists and collaborators near the city of Raqqa. A former ISIS strongholdaccording to ANF News.
The operation was reportedly carried out “in collaboration with United Nations forces,” but Centcom has not yet confirmed whether the United States was involved.
U.S. forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK in Syria, on August 18, 2023, in the Qamisli district of al-Hasakah governorate, Syria. The PKK is an organization designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkiye, and the European Union. (Hedir Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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However, concerns remain high that the operational capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces could be disrupted by a foreign attack. Turkey-backed SNA coalition This could pose a challenge for the incoming Trump administration, which is trying to prevent a resurgence of ISIS while balancing relations between Turkey and the United States, which is expected to wield even greater influence over Syria's new regime. There is.
“We continue to monitor the situation in Syria,” Trump Vance transition spokesman Brian Hughes said in response to questions from Fox News Digital. “President Trump is committed to mitigating threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and protecting Americans here at home.”
