The ISIS threat faces the new Syrian administration
These developments raise increasing concern in the region and the world, especially with the organization’s attacks in Syria and Iraq, which coincided with the beginning of the new year.
In this regard, Colin Clark, director of policy and research at the Soufan Group, who specializes in terrorism and international security affairs, said, “The first security challenge facing the new Syrian government is to extend its control over the use of force within Syria’s sovereign territory.” He added during his hosting of the “Al-Hurra Al-Laila” program on the “Al-Hurra” channel, “ISIS is closely monitoring the situation in northeastern Syria, and may be planning to carry out operations to smuggle its members from detention camps.”
In turn, Ahmed al-Ta’ma, the former head of the Syrian Interim Government, expressed his “optimism” about the new Syrian government’s ability to confront ISIS.
He said while hosting the same program, “The Syrian government extended its control over western Deir ez-Zor and cut off the desert road, which made it difficult for the organization to reach the east of the Euphrates, or to free prisoners in the region’s prisons without confronting the forces of the new administration.”
He pointed out that “the new administration, which has a Salafist background, is the best at dealing with this type of terrorism.”
Despite this optimism, Clark pointed out that the situation is still complex, and said that “ISIS still poses a threat in Syria.”
The international coalition has intensified its strikes against ISIS since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but the fighting in recent weeks in northern Syria, between Syrian armed factions, has cast a shadow over efforts to combat the organization.
In conjunction with the operations in Syria, the international coalition and Iraqi forces are launching a campaign against ISIS, which has led to the killing of many of the organization’s members. (free)
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