By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-11-12

A recent escalation in the complex web of conflicts playing out in northeastern Syria has triggered concerns that the resulting instability will hinder the fight to keep the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in check, security officials said.

"The close cooperation between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and international coalition is a safety valve for security and stability in northeastern Syria to ensure ISIS does not make a comeback," said SDF officer Farhad Khoja.

ISIS sleeper cells are still active in the area, and carry out sporadic attacks that have targeted civilians as well as the SDF, he told Al-Fassel.

Preemptive operations against ISIS cells are ongoing, largely in the vicinity of al-Raqa, Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah, Khoja said, and have resulted in a number of arrests and the seizure of weapons, ammunition and explosives.

These are conducted with intelligence and military cooperation from the international coalition, he said, which also provides weapons and training on "offensive and defensive combat skills and those related to raids, monitoring and tracking operations."

The recent flareup of an unrelated conflict in northeastern Syria "adversely affected, albeit slightly, the efforts made by the SDF and the international coalition to pursue ISIS cells and remnants," Syrian activist Ayham al-Ali said.

The bombardments forced SDF and international coalition personnel "to change security plans, deployment points and patrols," he told Al-Fassel, in order to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Iran-aligned militias also contribute to the volatility of the situation, particularly in the border area with Iraq, where they seek to exploit any burgeoning conflict to further their control in key areas.

ISIS seeks to exploit unrest

ISIS elements are "undoubtedly taking advantage of this situation," al-Ali said, noting that the SDF Commander-in-Chief has "highlighted the seriousness of this matter more than once during his media statements."

"It is noticeable, according to confirmed information from reliable sources, that the group's cells have been focusing for some time on recruiting new elements, especially in the Deir Ezzor region," he said.

These cells "are trying to respread the group's ideology in what appears to be an attempt to expand once again," he added.

This also has been observed in Kurdish-administered camps, he said, especially al-Hol, where several ISIS elements were arrested while forming new cells and attempting to recruit new members to join them.

"The continued presence of international coalition forces in Syria is on one hand an essential factor supporting the SDF," al-Ali said.

"On the other, it is a positive psychological factor for civilians and an indication of the coalition forces' determination to protect civilians, prevent the return of ISIS, and pursue the remaining cells," he said.