Jeremy Hodge
Introduction
In the six weeks between the December 8, 2024, overthrow of former Syrian President Assad and the inauguration of President Trump, the United States (US) quietly widened the territorial scope of its counter-terrorism footprint in Syria more than three-fold, an unprecedented expansion not seen even at the height of the U.S. anti-ISIS campaign from 2014-2017.
The purpose of this growth has been to fill the void left by outgoing Russian troops. Prior to Assad’s ouster, Russian forces were responsible for anti-ISIS operations in the regime-controlled area south of the Euphrates River, per a de-confliction agreement reached between Washington and Moscow in 2015.
Starting in 2024, ISIS activity in Syria increased significantly, with the group’s attacks tripling compared to 2023. This growth pushed the US to breach the deconfliction agreement for the first time in September–October 2024, launching airstrikes targeting ISIS cells south of the Euphrates River that killed more than 100 of the group’s fighters and leaders.
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