Concerns have grown over the resurgence of Islamic State in Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and an increase in attacks targeting the US-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
President-elect Donald Trump may face another round of crackdown against the extremist group as the SDF faces a reality in which it may have to divide its attention between ISIS and the threats posed by Turkey.
The SDF said five of its soldiers were killed in attacks by Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Anti-regime fighters stand by the roadside as displaced Syrian Kurds drive vehicles loaded with goods on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway to flee the outskirts of the northern city of Aleppo, previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) . After being seized by Islamist-led rebels on December 2, 2024. (Rami Al Sayed/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump says Turkey ‘unfriendlyly occupied’ Syria as US-brokered ceasefire looks set to fail
The attacks come after a ceasefire deal brokered by the Biden administration apparently failed, as the US and SDF have stepped up efforts to counter ISIS.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that his “biggest concern” is the return of ISIS, which was considered “defeated” in 2019.
“ISIS loves a vacuum,” he said, referring to the extremist group’s use of power struggles to gain a foothold in places like North Africa. “What we are seeing in Syria right now are areas that are basically uncontrolled because of the fall of the Assad regime.
“Our goal is to make sure that we support the SDF – the Kurds – and that we keep ISIS under control,” he said.
Comrades attend the funeral of five fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were killed in Manbij during clashes with Turkey-backed opposition groups earlier this week in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on December 14, 2024 . (Dalil Solaiman/AFP via Getty Images)
The US has long had to balance its campaign against ISIS in Syria – which it is fighting with the help of Kurdish coalition forces, despite Turkey viewing the SDF as similar to the terrorist network Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – in Washington. With the partnership of Ankara as a NATO ally.
“The SDF and the Assad regime were ISIS’s primary opponents,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of “The Long War Journal,” told Fox News Digital. “Given the demise of the former and the latter under pressure from Turkish proxies, concerns about the expansion of ISIS are legitimate.”
“Türkiye wants to destroy the SDF,” Roggio confirmed. “Turkey has the ideal opportunity to destroy the SDF, and will take advantage of this unique situation. I expect an attack.”[s] There will be an increase against the SDF.”
President-elect Trump’s Syria dilemma: intervene or turn it into a terrorist state
The Biden administration has already taken steps to intensify its campaign against ISIS, targeting more than 75 sites in a significant strike on known “ISIS leaders, operatives and camps” earlier this month, according to US Central Command. (Centcom) has confirmed.
A US-led coalition soldier points towards schoolchildren during a joint US-Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) patrol in rural Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on February 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Karaman)
The operation coincided with the fall of Damascus on 8 December following the widespread capture of Aleppo, Hama and Homs by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was aided by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
Additionally, CENTCOM on Thursday killed ISIS leader Abu Yusuf alias Mahmoud using a precision airstrike in eastern Syria – an area where, according to Syrian news outlets, ISIS belongs to the former Syrian Army under the Assad regime. Able to seize the weapons depot. “Anarchy.”
SDF forces, in an effort to curb the ISIS insurgency, captured 18 ISIS militants and suspected associates on Sunday near the city of Raqqa, which was once an ISIS stronghold, according to ANF News.
The operation was reportedly conducted “in collaboration with international coalition forces”, but CENTCOM has not yet confirmed whether the US was involved.
US forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK in Syria, in the Qamishli district of Syria’s al-Hasakah province, August 18, 2023. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey, and the European Union. (Haydil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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But concerns remain that the SDF could see its operational capabilities fragmented due to an increase in attacks by Turkish-backed SNA coalition forces – which could spell trouble for the incoming Trump administration as it faces U.S. tensions with Turkey. Wants to prevent another resurgence of ISIS while balancing relations. Which is expected to have a wide-ranging impact on the new Syrian government.
“We will 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 reducing threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and to the safety of Americans here at home.”
