More than thirty attacks in SDF-held areas and ten operations in the Syrian desert leave 52 fatalities

Although the Counter-ISIS International Coalition command and the leaders of Syria Democratic Forces announced the elimination of the so-called Caliphate of the “Islamic State” in March 2019, recent developments on the ground indicate that ISIS has not been fully eliminated.

ISIS continues launching military operations and counter-attacks which are met with security campaigns by Coalition forces and their Syria Democratic Forces partner throughout SDF-controlled areas, in addition to military operations by Russian and regime forces against ISIS cells in areas under their control.

However, ISIS cells are still able to exploit opportunities to create a security vacuum and carry out assassinations, which clearly indicate that the “Islamic State” is still alive and kicking.

In the 93rd month after the declaration of “Al-Baghdadi’s Caliphate”, ISIS carried out over 35 operations, including armed attacks and explosions, in areas controlled by SDF in Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah and Al-Raqqah province, killing 31 persons: 14 civilians and 17 members of Syria Democratic Forces, Internal Security Forces and Self-Defence Forces.

It is worth noting that, SOHR activists documented 23 attacks staged by ISIS cells across SDF-held areas in Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqa, Al-Hasakah, and Aleppo countryside in ten days, after ISIS spokesman had announced, on April 17, a new military campaign dubbed the “Revenge War for the Two Sheikhs.”

These two sheikhs are Abi Ibrahim Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi and Al-Muhajir Abi Hamza Al-Qurashi, the former ISIS leader and spokesman who were killed in early February 2022 in an operation by US forces in Atma town on the Syria border with Turkey, north of Idlib.

These attacks, which included armed attacks on checkpoints and patrols, assassinations and detonation of IEDs, left 22 people dead.

In the Syrian desert, however, ISIS operations continued in areas under the control of the Syrian regime and its allies, despite the re-escalation of aerial operations by Russian jets and periodical security campaigns by regime forces and Russian and regime-backed militias.

ISIS managed to escalate its attacks on regime forces and their proxy militias in the Syrian desert, especially in Al-Rusafah desert, the surrounding areas of Jabal Al-Bishri in Al-Raqqah, the frontlines of Ithriyah and other frontlines in the eastern countryside of Hama, the desert of Al-Sukhnah, Palmyra in Homs countryside, Deir Ezzor desert and the administrative border between Al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor.

According to SOHR statistics, ISIS managed to kill 21 regime soldiers and loyalists in nearly ten attacks in the Syrian desert in April 2022.

While ISIS lost 26 members in clashes with regime forces and Russian airstrikes on ISIS hideouts in Homs, Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqah and Hama desert.

Although nearly 37 months have passed since the International Coalition’s announcement of the defeat of ISIS which was a dominant force east of Euphrates River, and with the recent developments over the past period, however, silence still surrounds the issue of ISIS’s abductees. All sides remain quiet and provide no clarification on the fate of thousands of abductees, where fear continues to grow for the lives and fate of the abductees, including Father Paolo Daololio, Bishops John Ibrahim and Paul Yazji, Abdullah Al Khalil, a British journalist, sky News journalist and other journalists, in addition to hundreds of abductees from Ain Al Arab (Kobani) area and Afrin, as well as the people of Deir Ezzor.

With the continuing crimes and violations against Syrian civilians, including death threats against SOHR workers by the Islamic State and other killers and criminals in Syria, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its vows to continue its work by monitoring, documenting and publishing all violations and crimes that committed against the Syrian people.

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, renew our call to the UN Security Council to refer those war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria to the International Criminal Court so that all the criminals and killers of the Syrian people are brought to justice.

SOHR has been all along warning against ISIS resurgence and stressing that the defeat of ISIS in Syrian territory, as declared in 2019, was “symbolic”, as ISIS has been only eliminated as a controlling power in populated areas.

The daily attacks by ISIS fighters and cells throughout Syria, clearly indicate that the “Islamic State” is still alive and kicking. While the frequent security campaigns and military operations by regime forces, Russia, International Coalition and SDF have all failed so far to curb or hinder ISIS’s escalating activities.

The Syrian Observatory also points out that it had already warned, well before “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” declared itself as a “Caliphate State” in Syria and Iraq, that this organization did intend to work for the Syrian people and serve their interest, but rather ISIS continued to kill innocent Syrians, who had been suffering the brutality of war and violence and became displaced.

Furthermore, the “Islamic State” recruited children in the so-called “cubs of the caliphate”, controlled the wealth and resources of Syrian people and harnessed them to build a “caliphate”, and traded openly back and forth with one of Syria’s neighbouring country.

Source: SOHR