ISIS Has Been In Syria And Still Is There

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

                      Palmyra ruins left by ISIS  Palmyra is an ancient city in central Syria (known in Aramaic as Tadmor), located in an oasis northeast of Damascus. A significant cultural center, its Neolithic-era archaeological finds and Roman-era ruins are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, though the site sustained damage in 2015 and 2017 by ISIS.

Steven Joel Sotloff (May 11, 1983 – c. September 2, 2014) was an American-Israeli journalist who was beheaded by ISIS. A Miami native, he was a freelance journalist who reported from Syria, Libya, and Egypt.Background: Sotloff was Jewish and an Israeli citizen, though he kept this hidden from his captors. He was the grandson of Holocaust survivors.  Abduction and Death: He was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, in August 2013. ISIS released a video of his beheading on September 2, 2014, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.

  Daniel's last words were a defiant, "I am Jewish!"  

Not to be outdone, Daniel Pearl was beheaded next by another terror group.    Daniel Pearl, was beheaded in 2002 by Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, not ISIS. 

As of May 2026, ISIS remains an active insurgent threat in Syria, that hateful group of beheaders who were so evil.  Public Executions and Violence: ISIS frequently carried out public executions, decapitations, and lashings to enforce their edicts and instill fear. Images of captured Iraqi security personnel, including their transport and killing, were shared publicly.   (ISIS-WA)—one of ISIS’s largest and most lethal branches—controls broad swaths of territory and has killed or displaced thousands of people in Nigeria and neighboring countries. The branch formed in 2015 when Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS and adopted the name ISIS–West Africa. ISIS-WA seeks to establish an ISIS caliphate. The branch collaborates with ISIS-Sahel and fights former Boko Haram members who broke from ISIS-WA. The branch exacerbates sectarian violence through its attacks and exploits poor economic conditions and social divisions in the Lake Chad region to attract members.nadia_murad53wMy niece, Katherine and I, along with thousands of Yazidi women and girls, were taken into captivity by ISIS in 2014. When she was separated from me in Mosul, Iraq, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her. Katherine and other women were held captive by Aslam Taha Al Ubaidi, an Iraqi doctor who had joined ISIS. This terrorist, along with others, was responsible for raping and enslaving Katherine and her friends.

Jazira region of Syria

ISIS had been  operating primarily in the Syrian Desert (Badiya Al-Sham) and the Jazira region. The Jazira region (or Al-Jazira) is primarily in northeastern Syria, within the Al-Hasakah Governorate. It is part of the de facto Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), and also historically encompasses parts of northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey.                                   

Following a December 2025 attack, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched "Operation Hawkeye Strike," conducting multiple strikes in 2026 that have killed or captured over 50 militants, targeting their infrastructure and cell members. 

Territorial Loss: While the group lost its final, physical "caliphate" territory in Syria in 2019, it transformed into an underground network, maintaining a presence through small, mobile cells.

Threat Level: Despite losing territory, the group remains a significant security threat in the region, operating in, and exploiting, poorly governed areas.

What has the President of Syria, Jolani, former terrorist leader done about them?  Abu Mohammad al-Jolani is a Syrian militant leader who commanded the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra before founding Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a dominant opposition force in Syria's Idlib province. He split from ISIS and Al-Qaeda to focus on toppling Bashar al-Assad, evolving from a radical jihadist into a local governing leader with a $10 million U.S. bounty.

What a history he has!  

Early Militancy: Jolani joined the fight against U.S. forces in Iraq after the 2003 invasion and was detained by U.S. forces at Camp Bucca.

ISIS Connection: He was a commander within the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and was sent by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2011 to build a presence in Syria.

Split from ISIS/Al-Qaeda: Jolani broke with Baghdadi when Baghdadi tried to merge Jolani's Syrian group with ISI to form ISIS. Jolani initially swore loyalty to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri instead, but later rebranded his group (as HTS) and distanced himself from transnational jihad, focusing on fighting the Assad regime.  (Why?) 

Disdain for Baghdadi’s Competence: Jolani reportedly was unimpressed with Baghdadi’s competence and leadership, considering him disconnected from the realities of the situation, according to a 2021 PBS interview. 

Conflict Over Strategy and Focus: Jolani wanted to focus on the local Syrian fight against the Assad regime, prioritizing the building of relationships with other Syrian opposition groups. Conversely, ISIS pushed an aggressive, global jihadist agenda and sought immediate territorial control.

Brutality and Ideological Rigidity: ISIS's unwillingness to compromise with other opposition groups and their extreme, often brutal tactics alienated potential allies, which conflicted with the more pragmatic approach Jolani was attempting to adopt in Syria.

Current Status: As of 2024–2025 reports, Jolani controls parts of northwestern Syria, acts as a buffer against other extremists, and has engaged in efforts to reshape his image from terrorist to legitimate political opposition leader, including being dubbed as  leading a post-Assad Syria as President.

Jolani has battled ISIS and other radical groups in Syria while still maintaining a designation as a terrorist organization by the U.S. due to his past, at least until Trump valued him as a man who could control others yet obey him. As in other places, Trump bets on the fastest horse.