How did ISIS exploit the continuation of Turkish attacks on Syrian territory?

The date of November 27 carried numerous implications that immediately and radically changed the course of military policy and ideology in Syria. The attack that began in Idlib and reached Damascus in 12 days ended six decades of the Ba'ath regime.

 However, it has opened the door wider for many regional countries to intervene in Syrian affairs, foremost among them the Turkish occupying state, which bets on unleashing ISIS mercenaries to reactivate their terrorist operations against Syrians and to restore the dark era that the Syrian Democratic Forces ended.

 According to ANHA agency's documentation, ISIS terrorist cells have carried out 43 attacks across Syria starting from November 27, 2024, up to the moment of this report's preparation, targeting both civilians and military personnel throughout the Syrian geography.

 Among them, 32 operations in the regions of North and East Syria, concentrated in the eastern and western countryside of Deir ez-Zor, as well as parts of al-Hasakah and al-Raqqa. In these operations, ISIS mercenaries targeted points of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Internal Security Forces, in addition to the homes and properties of civilians.

 The operations of ISIS mercenaries in the regions of North and East Syria have resulted in the martyrdom of several civilians alongside military fighters, including 19 members of the Internal Security Forces and 11 fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces, with several others injured, according to our follow-up.

 The striking thing about the matter is that the most intense and violent attacks by ISIS mercenaries occurred on December 25, during which they used automatic weapons and bombs against a military point of the Syrian Democratic Forces and another of the Internal Security Forces in the village of Hatlah in the northern Deir ez-Zor countryside.

 It coincided with the Turkish occupation state president Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivering his statement in parliament: "Either the Kurdish militants in Syria lay down their arms or they will be buried in Syrian territory along with their weapons."

 While the Syrian Democratic Forces, in cooperation with Internal Security Forces and Global Coalition to Combat ISIS, arrested about 158 mercenaries from ISIS cells, including leaders and their collaborators, the latest being last Friday, in addition to the killing of several others during exchanges of gunfire during the seven security operations launched by the joint forces.

 These operations contributed to establishing stability in several hot areas, primarily the town of al-Azbah located north of Deir ez-Zor canton, which witnessed a number of bombings and assassinations targeting civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

 In addition to confirming from various sources that the operations thwarted a plan to attack al-Sina'a Prison where thousands of ISIS mercenaries are held, which, along with other detention facilities, constitutes a ticking time bomb threatening the region and the world.

 The Syrian Democratic Forces and the Internal Security Forces in the regions of North and East Syria had confirmed in several statements the increase in the activity of ISIS cells in the region and throughout Syria due to ISIS exploiting the distraction of military and security forces in repelling the continuous attacks of the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries.

 As for the remaining 11 operations from the total count of ISIS operations in Syria, they were concentrated in the Syrian desert and targeted elements of the former Syrian regime before its collapse, resulting in the deaths of 70 of them, including 54 in a single incident near the town of al-Sukhnah during the regime's collapse on January 8 of last year, in addition to 20 Syrian civilians, some of whom were shepherds in the desert.

 Observers believe that the lack of adequate preparation for the post-fall phase of the "Ba'ath" regime by the administration of the "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" in terms of maintaining security, especially in the Badia, significantly contributed to giving ISIS mercenaries the opportunity to reposition and freely spread to prepare for carrying out terrorist operations.

 It is worth mentioning that many international entities, led by Europe and America, as well as regional ones like Iraq and Jordan, have warned against the exploitation of the opportunity by ISIS mercenaries to escalate the Turkish military occupation in the region of North and East Syria.

 Last Thursday, China announced the need to focus more on combating ISIS mercenaries after a terrorist incident occurred in the country, confirming the expansion and resurgence of mercenary activities.

 T/ Satt.

ANHA