
An ISIS flag lying on the ground in al-Baghouz village in the Syrian Deir Ez-Zor governorate on March 24, 2019. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
On Dec. 8, amid the fall of the Syrian regime, the U.S. stepped up its attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria, fearing a potential comeback of the terrorist organization, which around a decade ago controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq.
On Sunday, hours after opposition rebels led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces announced that it conducted dozens of 'precision' airstrikes targeting known ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria.
According to a CENTCOM statement released on X, the strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were "conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, in order to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria."
"CENTCOM, together with allies and partners in the region, will continue to carry out operations to degrade ISIS operational capabilities even during this dynamic period in Syria," the statement reads.
Senior Adviser for the U.S. Program at the International Crisis Group (ICG) Brian Finucane told L'Orient Today that based on the number of airstrikes and the assets involved, Sunday's operation was "pre-planned, deliberate and had been in development for some time."
According to CENTCOM, the operation "struck over 75 targets using multiple U.S. Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s."
Alex Plitsas, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, told L'Orient Today that the U.S. used "as many as 75 GPS guided munitions" in Sunday's operation. He added that the targets were "located in areas that were traditionally patrolled by the Russians."
Concern about ISIS taking advantage
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that ISIS will try to use this period to re-establish capabilities in Syria, but said the United States is determined not to let that happen, according to Reuters.
The U.S. government is clearly concerned about "ISIS taking advantage of the very dynamic situation on the battlefield in Syria," Finucane said, pointing specifically to the fact that the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are distracted due to movements by Turkish-backed rebels in Manbij, in the northeast of the Aleppo Governorate.
On Sunday, opposition forces entered the city of Manbij after taking control of most of the surrounding area from the SDF.
Plitsas also raised the issue of ISIS exploiting the fragile transition period, saying that the "rapid collapse of the Syrian State and withdrawal of forces created a vacuum" which the terrorist organization could exploit.
Plitsas expects the U.S. to continue conducting "strikes as necessary to prevent ISIS from making a resurgence or gains inside of Syria." Meanwhile, Finucane believes that ISIS will now take steps to "lower their profile, conceal themselves, and make it harder for the U.S. to strike in the same way."
He also raised the issue of tensions between ISIS and other rebel factions of "differing religions, outlooks, and political agendas" who are working to create a transition government that, by public accounts, would be inclusive and comprehensive. "That is not what ISIS has ever intended. The group also continues to harbor transnational terrorist goals and objectives which represents a threat to regional and international security."
After ousting Assad, the rebels on Monday appointed Mohammed al-Bashir, who served as the head of the “government” proclaimed by HTS in Idlib, to form a transitional government.
ISIS' strategy of liberating prisoners
According to Finucane, the U.S. fears that ISIS might even make a move on the Al-Hawl camp, a detention camp in northern Syria close to the Syria-Iraq border managed by the SDF, to liberate ISIS detainees held there. For years, "U.S. officials have referred to the detainee population remaining in camps in Syria as ISIS," he said.
ISIS used the strategy of liberating prisoners to reconstitute itself about a decade ago, Finucane explained, specifically from Iraqi prisons. "So there's an established playbook that the U.S. government is concerned that ISIS may try to use once again."
The States have about 900 troops deployed in Syria as part of an international coalition against ISIS and, since 2011, it has regularly carries out strikes in the country. At the end of October, up to 35 ISIS members were killed in American strikes in Syria, according to the Pentagon. ISIS took control of swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, proclaiming its “caliphate” and launching a reign of terror before being defeated in 2019 by the coalition.
On Sunday morning, rebel forces announced the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the "liberation" of the capital Damascus after a swift offensive that ended over five decades of Assad family rule.