Part 12/14:
This resurgence signals a return to insurgency tactics, exploiting the power vacuum created by the Assad regime’s ongoing struggles post-2019. ISIS's targeting appears aimed at Syrian military sources and government supporters, including a recent attempt to attack a Shiite shrine. The group’s renewed activity is further complicated by the presence of approximately 2,000 U.S. troops still in country, and efforts to prevent mass jailbreaks of ISIS prisoners held in northeastern Syria.