The ISIL group has reportedly killed five Kurdish fighters in an attack in Deir Az Zor, eastern Syria. This incident highlights growing concerns about the group’s resurgence in the region. Farhad Shami, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), confirmed the attack, calling it one of the deadliest in recent times for his group.
Deir Az Zor was under ISIL control in 2014 but was retaken by the Syrian army in 2017. The group once held a vast territory in both Syria and Iraq, imposing strict and brutal rules on millions of people. Former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in 2014, but after his death in a U.S. raid in 2019, ISIL’s power began to wane.
At its peak, ISIL controlled an area about the size of half the United Kingdom, known for its extreme violence, including public executions and the enslavement of women from minority communities like the Yazidis. A global coalition of over 80 countries, led by the United States, formed in 2014 to combat the group. The war against ISIL officially ended in March 2019 when U.S.-backed SDF fighters captured the last territory held by the group in Baghouz.
Despite its defeat, ISIL is attempting to regain strength, recruiting new members and claiming responsibility for attacks worldwide. The recent killing of the Kurdish fighters signals that the threat from ISIL is far from over.