An organization tracking violence in Syria reported on Monday that Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists killed four of dictator Bashar Assad’s soldiers in an attack intentionally targeting the military, the latest in what experts fear is an accelerating escalation of ISIS activity in the country.
The incident reportedly occurred in the province of Raqqa, whose eponymous largest city was once the capital of the Islamic State “caliphate” established over significant portions of both Iraq and Syria. It occurred in the context of growing concern that, after the eradication of ISIS from Raqqa in 2017, the Sunni jihadist terror group has found a way to regroup in the Middle East, in addition to increasing its activity throughout Africa and South Asia.
“Just-released data from U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces across the Middle East and South Asia, puts the number of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq at about 2,500 — more than double estimates from late January,” Voice of America reported.
