SDF Warns Of Lingering IS Threat Worldwide

Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the Islamic State group in Hasakeh province, Syria, on April 19, 2023. The U.S.-backed force that defeated the Islamic Sta

The U.S.-backed force that successfully defeated the Islamic State group in Syria five years ago has issued a warning about the continued dangers posed by the extremist organization worldwide. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) marked the fifth anniversary since IS lost its self-declared caliphate by emphasizing the urgent need for the international community to address the thousands of fighters still held in SDF jails.

Despite the liberation of the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March 2019, which marked the end of IS's caliphate, the group's sleeper cells and affiliates in Asia and Africa continue to carry out deadly attacks. The SDF highlighted that IS remains a significant threat, actively seeking to rebuild itself through sleeper cells and regain control over certain areas.