The ongoing instability in Syria remains a significant concern for regional and international actors, as multiple reports highlight the persistent threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) and the complex geopolitical dynamics at play. According to a recent *Wall Street Journal* exclusive, U.S. forces are engaged in a covert campaign to contain an ISIS resurgence in areas previously cleared of the group. This effort includes airstrikes, surveillance, and targeted missions against ISIS leaders, as the group attempts to rebuild its strength in the Syrian desert. Meanwhile, U.S.-backed Syrian forces have escalated their operations in eastern Syria, clashing with pro-government militias in a region already fraught with tension. Amid these developments, Turkey has outlined strict conditions for its potential withdrawal from northern Syria, linking it to constitutional reforms and security guarantees, while Jordan faces funding challenges in its ongoing response to the Syrian crisis. In contrast, Mosul’s Governor has dismissed rumors of security deterioration along the Iraq-Syria border, asserting that the area remains firmly under control. These reports underscore the enduring complexity and volatility of the Syrian conflict, with implications that stretch far beyond the region.
Islamic State resurgence concerns US-coalition forces in Iraq, Syria – report
US soldiers in Syria are struggling to contain an Islamic State (ISIS) resurgence in areas of the country previously cleared of the group, according to a Monday exclusive by the Wall Street Journal.
ISIS is reportedly regaining strength in the North Arabian Desert, also known as the Jordanian steppe, where it is training recruits to become suicide bombers with the aim of attacking allied troops, the report claimed.
The article cited US, Kurdish, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sources who believe that ISIS is attempting to revive its Islamist Caliphate. The coalition defeated ISIS territorially in March 2019.
In the past year, the rate of attacks by Islamic State fighters has doubled in both Syria and Iraq, including attacks on security checkpoints and car bombings.
The US Air Force has conducted airstrikes on Islamic State cells and provided aerial surveillance to assist SDF forces. US troops have also conducted missions to kill or capture the group’s leaders, according to the report.
“This year has been the worst year since we defeated Islamic State,” said Gen. Rohilat Afrin, co-commander of the SDF, to the WSJ during an interview at a US commando base in northeast Syria. “No matter how much you knock them down, they’ll try to get up again.”
U.S.-backed Syrian fighters say they killed 18 pro-government gunmen in rare attack in eastern Syria
AP reported that U.S.-backed Syrian fighters carried out a rare attack Monday in eastern Syria, striking at three posts manned by pro-government gunmen and claiming that they killed 18 of them in a major escalation near the border with Iraq.
The renewed clashes in Syria’s eastern oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour came amid high tensions in the region following last month’s killings of a top commander of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group in Beirut and the political leader of the Palestinian Hamas group in Iran. Israel was blamed for both attacks, and Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate.
The Syrian government, which is backed by Russia and Iran, has vowed for years to liberate eastern Syria from U.S. forces who have been deployed in the area since 2015 to help fight the Islamic State group.
Monday’s attack by members of the Arab-led Deir el-Zour Military Council — part of the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — came days after clashes and shelling between the SDF and pro-government gunmen left more than a dozen people dead.
The Deir el-Zour Military Council said the new attack was in retaliation for government forces’ shelling the villages of Dahla and Jdaidet Bakkara last week that left at least 11 civilians dead. The group said it attacked the area where the shelling was launched.
New constitution, free elections preconditions for Turkish withdrawal from Syria: defense minister
Turkey will only consider withdrawing its military forces from northern Syria once a comprehensive new constitution is accepted, free elections are held and border security is fully guaranteed, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said in a written interview with Reuters.
Güler emphasized that any discussions of a Turkish pullout hinge on meeting these prerequisites, which he framed as essential for ensuring stability and security in the area.
“We are ready to provide all the support we can for a comprehensive constitution to be accepted, for free elections to be held, and for a comprehensive normalization and security atmosphere to be created, and only when these are done and the security of our border is fully ensured will we do what is necessary through mutual coordination,” Güler said when asked about a possible Turkish withdrawal.
The defense minister also opened the door to potential ministerial-level talks between Turkey and Syria, provided that the “suitable conditions” for such discussions are created. This follows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent expression of willingness to engage in dialogue with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, although Assad has maintained that talks would only be viable if they focus on Turkey’s withdrawal from Syrian territory.
Jordan requests $2 billion to fund Syrian crisis response plan
The Jordanian government announced the size of its funding needs for the Syrian crisis response plan for the current year.
The Jordanian site Al-Mamlaka mentioned today, Monday, August 12th, that the Jordanian government has determined its funding needs for the Syrian crisis response plan for the current year to be around $2 billion, which is the “lowest amount” determined for funding the plan since its launch in 2015, amidst a decline in international support for funding the plan.
The volume of grants directed to Jordan to support the Syrian crisis response plan from the beginning of this year until the end of July reached approximately $132.83 million, representing only about 6.8% of the Jordanian Syrian crisis response plan needs for 2024, according to data from the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
The data indicated that $93.1 million was funded to support the refugee item, $39.6 million to support host communities, while the budget support item was not funded.
As for the donor countries to Jordan, the top contributors were multilateral funds with $30 million, followed by Germany with $24 million, the United States with $20.5 million, and the European Union with $19.5 million.
Mosul Governor dismisses rumors of security collapse on Iraq-Syria Border
On Monday, Mosul’s Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil dismissed rumors about a deterioration in security along the Iraq-Syria border in Nineveh governorate.
In an interview with Shafaq News Agency, al-Dakhil assured that “the situation in Nineveh Island is fully secured, and the border with Syria is 100% under control.”
On Sunday, al-Dakhil conducted an inspection tour with Hamid al-Yasiri, Commander of the Ansar al-Marjaiya Brigade, to assess the operational sectors in al-Hadar district (southwest of Mosul) and the first line of defense toward the Iraq-Syria border.
Al-Dakhil called on both Iraqi and foreign companies to invest in Nineveh, emphasizing that “the security environment is stable, encouraging the presence of these companies and investments.”
Meanwhile, Commander al-Yasiri affirmed in a statement released by the Nineveh governor’s media office that “the security situation in Nineveh and the al-Hadar desert toward the Syrian border is under the control of the military units from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Iraqi Army.” He added that a repeat of the 2014 ISIS incursion is impossible.
