Islamic State Rises Again in Syria
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which fought with the U.S. to bring down an Islamic State empire in Syria and Iraq
that at its peak ruled millions of people and pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in extortion and taxes.
Six years later, that rare, decisive victory over militancy is being eroded. Islamic State, now a decentralized mobile insurgency, is exploiting a reduced American presence and the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria to enlist new recruits and widen its reach, said U.S. and Kurdish military commanders.
Islamic State emerged from the chaos of Iraq after the American invasion in 2003 and took advantage of the instability unleashed in Syria by the Arab Spring to capture swaths of territory.
It declared a caliphate in 2014 and ruled 8 million to 12 million people at its peak.
The militants attracted hundreds of foreign fighters and became known for public beheadings and the enslavement of women.
WSJ 22 October 2025
Minns ni IS?
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