The highly fragmented Syria witnesses the resurgence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS; also known as Islamic State or Daesh), a transnational Salafi jihadist militant organisation, after the withdrawal of the US troops from the civil war-ravaged West Asian nation. Reports suggest that the ISIS militants shot dead two US-backed Kurdish soldiers in broad daylight in the third week of October 2025.

On October 22, 2025, The Wall Street Journal mentioned in a report that the two soldiers of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were riding in a pickup truck past a row of shops when the ISIS militants on motorcycles opened fire with AK-47s, killing both of them. The incident took place in a market area in Deir ez-Zor. A shop owner near the site stressed that it was the first ISIS attack on the road. “We are all afraid. They have returned to our city,” he added.

During the civil war, ISIS used to control a large part of Syria, particularly at the peak of its power between 2014 and 2017. However, the SDF, backed by the US forces, seized strongholds of ISIS in 2017-19. Meanwhile, the terror outfit has started expanding rapidly, filling a void left by the US. According to sources close to the US and Kurdish Armed Forces, the ISIS militants have changed their tactics over time.

Defence analysts believe that the terrorist organisation is taking advantage of the fall of Bashar al-Assad Regime, as well as the withdrawal of the US forces from Syria. It has also started recruiting new members in different parts of the country. It may be noted that the rebel troops entered Damascus on the morning of December 8, 2025, prompting former President al-Assad to flee to Moscow. He was granted political asylum by the Russian Government. Later that day, Damascus fell to rebel forces and the al-Assad Regime collapsed. The Wall Street Journal has claimed that the ISIS militants have been trying hard to destabilise Syria since the fall of the al-Assad Regime in December 2024. They have not only looted weapons depots, but also captured abandoned Army bases, allowing themselves to regroup and reorganise.

Although ISIS is yet to assert full control over any particular region, the terror outfit is constantly creating troubles for the Transitional Government of Syria, formed on March 29, 2025 under President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani). al-Sharaa is a former rebel commander and the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the civil war.

As per SDF data, the ISIS militants staged 117 attacks in northeast Syria through the end of August 2025. After considering the situation, the SDF and other security forces in northeastern Syria have decided to remain actively engaged in counterterrorism operations in order to prevent the reemergence of ISIS.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das