Terrorist attacks continue to destabilize Syria’s northeast as ISIS maintains its campaign against the security forces of the Autonomous Administration, despite ongoing joint operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
In recent months, several major ISIS attacks have resulted in casualties among both the SDF and the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) of the Autonomous Administration.
At the beginning of June, three Asayish personnel were killed when their vehicle struck a landmine planted on the Raqqa–Hasakah road during a routine patrol. On July 14, five more Asayish members were killed in an armed assault on their checkpoint in the southern countryside of Hasakah, carried out by ISIS militants.
Rural areas of Raqqa and Hasakah—especially the Deir ez-Zor region—have seen a sharp increase in ISIS activity, with militants exploiting remote terrain and instability to regroup and launch attacks.
On August 3, five SDF fighters were killed while repelling a coordinated ISIS assault on a military position in eastern Deir ez-Zor. According to an SDF statement, the fighters died during intense clashes with armed ISIS cells. The SDF extended condolences to the families of the fallen: Hasan Hamed Ahmad, Izz al-Din Said Khalifa, Ammar Muhammad al-Alloush, Ammar Muhammad Khalifa and Mazn Abdullah Khalaf.
Just three days later, two more SDF members were killed in an ambush by ISIS gunmen riding a motorcycle in the town of al-Bahra, also in Deir ez-Zor.
Despite continuous military pressure, including raids and counter-terror operations, ISIS remains a persistent threat in the region. Analysts point to Syria’s ongoing political instability and difficult economic conditions—which, although improving slightly, remain fragile—as key factors enabling the group to retain its operational networks.
