SDF warns: ISIS mobilizes 10.000 clandestine militant
Shafaq News / In the wake of what seemed like a triumph over ISIS, Syria's desolate landscape remains haunted by unsettling signs of insurgency. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have issued a grave warning amidst a nation torn apart by conflict: the specter of ISIS resurgence looms large, with its clandestine presence gaining momentum in the heart of the Syrian desert, where an estimated 10,000 militants lurk.
Recent revelations from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have exposed a chilling truth—a deliberate resurgence characterized by more than 100 civilian and military casualties in a series of 50 attacks since the beginning of 2024.
As the world grapples with the aftermath of an ostensibly vanquished adversary, Syria finds itself at a critical crossroads, facing the harsh reality that triumph is but a fleeting mirage in the ever-shifting sands of conflict.
SDF spokesperson Siamand Ali has confirmed the apprehension of ISIS members in Al-Hasakah, located in eastern Syria, hinting at signs of renewed individual and collective assaults. Ali has noted ISIS's persistent capacity to perpetrate terrorist acts, signaling a resurgence and estimating that over 10,000 ISIS combatants are covertly operating within Syria.
Meanwhile, Syrian Army operations and Russian airstrikes persistently target ISIS hideouts in the Syrian desert. Since the onset of the current year, ISIS has orchestrated 50 separate assaults in the desert regions, employing ambushes, armed offensives, and bombings in western Euphrates, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Homs, as documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Notably, ISIS was declared entirely defeated, and its dominion over a substantial geographic expanse of Syrian territory came to an end in 2019.
Nevertheless, military operations in the Syrian desert have resulted in 116 documented casualties, including 101 Syrian Army personnel and their allies, encompassing 13 pro-Iranian Syrian nationals, along with five civilians during agricultural endeavors, and 10 individuals, including a child, slain in ISIS assaults in the desert.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) emerged as a militant entity in Syria during the Syrian Civil War, seizing vast territories in the country from 2013 onward.
Initially capitalizing on the chaos of the conflict, ISIS exploited grievances and sectarian divisions to establish its self-proclaimed "caliphate", imposing brutal rule in its territories and perpetrating widespread human rights violations.
Despite facing military setbacks and territorial relinquishments due to offensives by diverse factions, including Syrian government forces, Kurdish militias, and Global Coalition, ISIS remains active in Syria, operating as an insurgent force and executing guerrilla attacks. The group continues to pose a security menace, exploiting governance vacuums to sustain its presence and recruit loyalists.
Efforts to completely eradicate ISIS from Syria are ongoing, yet the group's resilience and adaptability to evolving circumstances present a persistent challenge to regional stability and security.
