ISIS Has Resurfaced In Central Syria

File image.

Suspected members of ISIS have set up a checkpoint close to the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on April 24, warning that the terrorist group could renew its attacks in the central region.

The London-based monitoring group said that the militants stopped people and inspected their identification cards before withdrawing to the town of Jazal on seven motorcycles.

The move led to tensions in the eastern Homs countryside, the group added, noting that the forces of the Islamist-led interim government were put on high alert.

ISIS cells waged an insurgency in central Syria, mainly in the desert known as Badiya that lies between the eastern Homs countryside and the western Deir Ezzor countryside, for years, targeting both civilians and the forces of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad.

Following the fall of the regime last December, the United States-led coalition launched dozens of strikes against the terrorist group in Badiya and other parts of Syria.

ISIS has not launched any attacks since then. However, it was reported that the group stole loads of weapons from the former Syrian Arab Army and was working on organizing and training its cells to start a new insurgency against the interim government.

Earlier this month, the group released a propaganda video attacking the interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa for “deviation from God’s law” and calling on government forces to “repent and return to being among God’s true soldiers.”

It’s worth noting that al-Sharaa himself was a lieutenant of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. When the war first broke out in Syria, al-Baghdadi sent al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohamad al-Julani, to Syria to found the Nusra Front. As the group evolved, it broke ties with ISIS and later al-Qaeda, eventually rebranding as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. The group led the final offensive that brought down the Assad regime then dissolved itself after installing the interim government.

While ISIS today is nowhere as strong as it was a decade ago, when it controlled large parts of northern and eastern Syria, in addition to a sizable swath of western and northern Iraq, the group still poses a serious threat to the interim government.

The Islamist nature of the government makes it especially vulnerable to ISIS, as Islamists forces have rarely shown desire and determination to fight more radical groups.

In addition, the fact that a section of the Syrian government and ISIS both share key ideological principles will make it easier for the terrorist group to penetrate the new military and security institutions of the country.

All in all, it will be nearly impossible for the interim government to face ISIS on its own. Al-Sharaa has already sought a defense pact with Turkey, reportedly including the establishment of a drone-equipped air base in Palmyra, but Israel launched strikes blocking the initiative. Still, Ankara could provide support against ISIS in less direct ways.

The two other options for the interim government would be to partner up with the U.S. or Russia, as both still maintain a sizable military presence in Syria.

Still, if ISIS manages to undermine the structure of the Islamist-led government from within it would be difficult to prevent a full-on uprising of the group similar to the one from 2014.

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