Colin P. Clarke
“The single biggest concern I have is the resurgence of ISIS,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said over the weekend on CNN.
The lightning rebel advance led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that toppled the regime of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has left ungoverned spaces throughout the country. Over the past decade, the Islamic State has repeatedly proven adept at exploiting these power vacuums, using the opportunities to recruit, recuperate and rearm.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the US military has conducted several bombing raids against ISIS positions in Syria. In the first wave in early December, B-52 bombers, F-15 fighters and A-10 Warthogs attacked 75 targets consisting of ISIS leaders, operatives and training camps. A week later US airstrikes killed another dozen ISIS fighters, targeting more operatives and training camps. Late last week, US Central Command announced that the United States had successfully eliminated ISIS leader Abu Yusif in Deir ez-Zor province in the latest round of precision strikes against the Islamic State’s leadership echelon.
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