Recurrence anxiety when Islamic State in Syria are intensifying after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime and the increase in attacks directed at the US-Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
President-elect Donald Trump may face another round against the extremist group as the SDF faces a reality in which it may have to split its focus between ISIS and the threats directed at it by Turkey .
The SDF said five of its soldiers were killed on Saturday in attacks by Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria, Reuters reported.
Anti-regime fighters stand by the side of the road as displaced Kurds drive laden vehicles along the Aleppo-Raqqa highway to flee areas on the outskirts of the formerly rebel-held northern city of Aleppo. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). , after they were captured by Islamist-led rebels on December 2, 2024. (RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)
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The attacks came after the apparent collapse of the ceasefire agreement divided by the Biden administration as the US and the SDF step up efforts to fight ISIS.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told CNN that his “biggest concern” is the return of ISIS, which was considered “defeated” in 2019.
“ISIS likes vacuums,” he said, referring to the extremist group's use of power in places like North Africa to gain ground. “What we're seeing in Syria now are areas that are basically ungoverned because of the fall of the Assad regime.
“Our goal is to ensure that we support the SDF – the Kurds – and that we contain ISIS,” he added.
Friends attend the funeral of five fighters of the Kurdish-led Democratic Forces (SDF) killed in Manbij during clashes with Turkish-backed opposition groups earlier this week, in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on December 14 2024. (DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The US has had to balance its campaign against ISIS in Syria – which it is fighting with the help of the Kurdish coalition, although Turkey considers the SDF to be similar. the terrorist network of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – and Washington's collaboration with Ankara as a NATO ally.
“The SDF and the Assad regime were the main opponents of ISIS,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of the “Long War Journal,” told Fox News Digital. “When the former is over and the latter is under pressure from Turkish proxies, the concern about the expansion of ISIS is understandable.”
“Turkey wants to destroy the SDF,” Roggio asserted. “Turkey has a good opportunity to destroy the SDF, and it will take advantage of this unique situation. I expect attacks against the SDF to increase.”
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The Biden administration has already taken steps to step up its campaign against ISIS, hitting more than 75 sites in a major strike earlier this month against “ISIS leaders, operatives and camps,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed. .
A soldier from the US-led coalition gestures towards school children during a joint US-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) operation in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria on March 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Qareman)
The operation coincided with the fall of Damascus on December 8 after the capture of Aleppo, Hama and Homs by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was aided by Turkish support. Syrian National Army (SNA).
Additionally, CENTCOM on Thursday killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud using the right airfield in eastern Syria – the area, according to Syrian media, ISIS was able to. capture the armory of the former Syrian army under the Assad regime in the midst of “chaos.”
SDF forces trying to stop the ISIS insurgency captured 18 ISIS terrorists and their suspected collaborators on Sunday near the city of Raqqa. which was once an ISIS strongholdaccording to ANF News.
The operation was reportedly carried out “in coordination with international coalition forces,” but CENTCOM has not confirmed whether the US is involved.
US forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK in Syria, in the district of Qamisli in the province of Al-Hasakah, Syria on Aug. 18, 2023. PKK designated as terrorist. the United States, Turkey, and the European Union. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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But concerns remain high that the SDF could see its operational capabilities fragmented as attacks from abroad SNA coalition forces supported by Turkey increase – which could cause problems for the incoming Trump administration as it looks to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, while balancing US relations with Turkey, which is also expected to exert significant influence on the government he is young from Syria.
“We continue to monitor the situation in Syria,” said Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance Transition spokesman in response to questions from Fox News Digital. “President Trump is committed to reducing threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and protecting Americans here at home.”