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Concerns about the Islamic State’s resurgence in Syria continue to increase following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the increase in attacks targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF supported by the United States
President-elect Donald Trump may face extremist groups again as the SDF faces the reality that it may have to divide its focus between ISIS and the threat posed by Turkey.
The SDF said five of its soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack by Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria. Reuters reports
Anti-government fighters stand by the roadside as displaced Syrian Kurds drive vehicles laden with supplies on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway. to escape the northern suburbs of Aleppo. It was formerly controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After they were taken over by Islamist-led rebels on December 1, 2 Nov 2024. (RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump said Türkiye ‘Hostly revolt’ in Syria as US-run ceasefire looms seems to fail
The attack comes after an apparent collapse in the ceasefire agreement brokered by the Biden administration. As the U.S. and SDF increase their counter-ISIS efforts,
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that His “single biggest concern” is the return of ISIS, which was deemed “defeated” in 2019.
“ISIS loves vacuum cleaners,” he said, referring to the extremist group’s use of power struggles in places like North Africa to gain a foothold. “What we are seeing in Syria right now is an area that is basically uncontrolled due to the collapse of the Assad regime.
“Our goal is to ensure that we support the SDF – the Kurds – and that we control ISIS,” he added.
Comrades attend the funeral of five fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). who was killed in Manbij during clashes with Turkish-backed opposition groups earlier this week. In the city of Gamishli Northeastern Syria on December 1, 14 November 2024 (Delil Suleman/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States has long balanced its campaign against ISIS in Syria. which is being fought with the help of Kurdish allied forces. Turkey views the SDF as being similar to the terrorist network Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), with Washington’s cooperation alongside it. Ankara as a NATO ally
“The SDF and the Assad regime are the main enemies of ISIS,” said Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. and the founding editor of “The Long War Journal” told Fox News Digital, “When the former left and the latter came under pressure from Turkish agents, Concern about the expansion of ISIS is thus warranted.”
“Türkiye wants to destroy the SDF,” Roggio asserted. “Türkiye has an ideal opportunity to destroy the SDF and will take advantage of this special situation. I expect attacks on the SDF to increase.”
President Trump’s Syria Dilemma: Intervene or let it become a state of terror?
The Biden administration has taken steps to increase its campaign against ISIS. It struck more than 75 locations in a major strike earlier this month against “ISIS leaders, operatives and camps,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.
Soldiers from the US-led coalition Gestures to schoolchildren during a joint patrol of the US-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Kurds in the rural area of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Nov. 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Gereman)
The operation coincided with the fall of Damascus on 1 December 8, following the capture of Aleppo, Hama and Homs by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which assisted. from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
CENTCOM on Thursday also killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif, also known as Mahmud, using a precision airstrike in eastern Syria. This is an ISIS area, according to the Syrian News Agency. Seize the armory belonging to the former Syrian army under the Assad regime amid “chaos”
SDF forces, in an effort to quell the ISIS uprising, arrested 18 ISIS terrorists and suspected collaborators on Sunday near the city of Raqqa. which was once an ISIS strongholdAccording to ANF news
The campaign is reported to have been completed. “In cooperation with international coalition forces,” CENTCOM has not confirmed that the US Is it involved?
United States Armed Forces Organized military training for members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK in Syria, in the Qamisli District in Al-Hasakah Province, Syria on August 8. September 18, 2023 The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey, and European Union (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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But concerns remain high that the SDF sees its operational capabilities being divided into offensive operations. Türkiye-backed SNA alliance An increase that could spell trouble for the upcoming Trump administration. It is looking to prevent a resurgence of ISIS while balancing U.S. relations with Turkey, which is expected to wield outsized influence over the new Syrian government.
“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 reducing threats to peace and stability in the Middle East. and to protect Americans at home.”
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