ISIS activity has seen a resurgence in recent weeks following the group’s acquisition of weapons stockpiles abandoned by Iranian-backed factions and remnants of the Assad regime in the Syrian desert. Intelligence reports also indicate that ISIS has regrouped and is preparing for renewed attacks across Syrian territory.
Amid speculation over a potential withdrawal of the US-led international coalition from Syria, coalition forces launched their largest military manoeuvres in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. The operations stretched from the vicinity of coalition bases to the Iraqi-Syrian border.
International coalition forces remain deployed in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), particularly at the Koniko gas field and the al-Omar oil field, considered the coalition’s second-largest base in Syria.
The coalition continues to rely on the SDF as a local partner in combating ISIS, a partnership that began in late 2015 and remains in effect. Both American and French officials have reaffirmed their commitment to the SDF as a central element in the fight against the organisation.
Last Wednesday, the anti-ISIS Solid Resolve Operations Room stated, “Despite the continuing threats posed by the remaining ISIS cells in Deir ez-Zor to our Syrian partner forces, they are on alert and ready to defeat ISIS.”
The statement came as the SDF increased its security measures across Deir ez-Zor, following a spike in ISIS cell activity. The organisation has launched a string of attacks in the area, some of which were repelled by the SDF, while others resulted in military casualties.
The Coalition’s Withdrawal
The SDF has warned that ISIS is seeking to maintain a consistent pattern in its attacks, taking advantage of regional instability and the anticipated drawdown of international coalition troops.
In March, the US Department of Defence announced plans to reduce its military footprint in Syria to fewer than 1,000 personnel in the coming months. However, the Pentagon stressed that US Central Command remains prepared to carry out strikes against ISIS as needed.
Department spokesman Sean Parnell said that Secretary of Defence Pete Higgseth had ordered a bolstering of US forces at specific sites under Operation Inherent Resolve, citing the United States’ prior success in defeating ISIS’s territorial control in 2019 during the earlier presidency of Donald Trump.
The New York Times reported that Washington has already begun scaling back its presence in northeastern Syria. According to senior US officials, three of the eight smaller American bases in the region, including the “Green” and “Euphrates” bases, have been shut down. The drawdown has reportedly reduced US troop numbers from 2,000 to approximately 1,400.
“Military commanders will reassess the situation after 60 days,” the officials added, “and will recommend that at least 500 troops remain in the area thereafter.”
On Saturday, a military source told the website +963 that coalition forces were conducting military exercises in coordination with the SDF, which included seven simulated airstrikes carried out by coalition warplanes. Four fighter jets and three helicopters participated in the drills, described as the largest of their kind since the liberation of the area from ISIS.
The source noted that the exercises involved mortar shelling and anti-aircraft machine gun training, and spanned up to 70 kilometres into the Deir ez-Zor desert, reaching areas controlled by the Syrian Transitional Government in the countryside.
Relying on Partners
A commander in “the Syrian Free Army” previously known as the Revolutionary Commando Army, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the aim of the coalition’s military exercises and operations was to strengthen coordination with the SDF, enhance readiness to confront ISIS, and reaffirm the coalition’s commitment to its local partners in the fight against terrorism.
He confirmed that ISIS activity had surged in recent weeks following the group’s capture of weapons caches left behind by Iranian-backed factions and regime forces, as well as intelligence that ISIS had regrouped and was planning strikes in Syrian territory. In response, joint raids and ground operations involving the coalition, the SDF, and the Syrian Free Army were intensified.
According to the commander, several ISIS leaders were arrested during these operations, which also involved the deployment of new technologies for intelligence gathering and surveillance aimed at dismantling ISIS sleeper cells.
Meanwhile, a military source affiliated with the SDF, stationed at the al-Omar oil field, said the coalition is planning a strategic repositioning of its forces in Syria. The objective is to consolidate smaller outposts across northern and eastern Syria into three major bases, whose locations will be announced in due course.
He added that the coalition had fully vacated its base at the Koniko oil field and was in the process of withdrawing from the al-Omar base, though a limited number of personnel and vehicles would remain to carry out regular patrols in the Deir ez-Zor region.
The source indicated that the coalition plans to relocate its forces to the city of al-Shaddadi, south of Hasakah Governorate, shortly. The SDF, he said, continues to participate in joint manoeuvres and remains a key partner in ongoing efforts to eliminate ISIS and bolster regional security.
