The potential for ISIS resurgence in Syria amidst the fall of Assad's regime poses a significant threat, prompting increased US military presence and concerns over weapons stockpiles falling into the wrong hands. A delicate balancing act is underway as the US navigates tensions between Turkey and Kurdish forces, seeking to prevent further conflict and contain the rise of ISIS.
Several current and former defense officials warned prior to the fall of Assad that the prisons, along with the refugee camps filled with the wives and children of those fighters, could represent a new generation of ISIS fighters if the West didn’t act, in particular by repatriating and rehabilitating those people.
The United States has declared that it would not allow ISIS to reconstitute in light of the current instability, and the military has launched dozens of strikes targeting ISIS combatants and their camps. A major concern for both the U.S. and Israel is ensuring the Assad forces’ weapons stockpiles don’t fall into ISIS’s hands or those of any other group looking to harm Western interests. The U.S. acknowledged earlier this month for the first time that there are about 2,000 troops in northeast Syria, where they operate alongside the Kurdish-led SDF. Prior to this week, DoD had said there were only about 900 troops in the country, even though the increased number of troops have been in place for “at a minimum, months,” according to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder. Despite the U.S. and Turkey being allies, as well as their participation in NATO, the latter considers the SDF an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which both the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is looking to capitalize on Assad’s fall. Turkey has built up a military presence along the border, and a possible conflict between them and the Kurds could force them to redirect assets from the prisons in their territory where they are guarding the ISIS fighters. U.S. officials have brokered a temporary ceasefire between the two sides and are hoping they can broker another deal to avoid further violence or escalation. The U.S
ISIS Syria US Military Turkey Kurds
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