{"id":25756,"date":"2020-01-28T23:59:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T23:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/28\/isis-tries-to-stage-comeback-amid-rising-us-iran-tensions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:42:14","slug":"isis-tries-to-stage-comeback-amid-rising-us-iran-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2020\/01\/28\/isis-tries-to-stage-comeback-amid-rising-us-iran-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"ISIS tries to stage comeback amid rising US-Iran tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BEIRUT \u2014 The Islamic State group\u2019s self-styled \u201ccaliphate\u201d across parts of Iraq and Syria seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But tensions between the United States and Iran and the resulting clash over the U.S. military presence in the region provide a comeback opportunity for the extremist group, whose remnants have been gradually building up a guerrilla campaign over the past year, experts say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American troops in Iraq had to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/05\/us-suspends-training-iraqi-troops-to-focus-on-base-security\/\" target=\"_blank\">pause their operations against ISIS<\/a> for nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/16\/us-military-resumes-operations-against-the-islamic-state-group-in-iraq\/\" target=\"_blank\">two weeks amid the tensions<\/a>. From the other side, Iranian-backed Iraqi militiamen who once focused on fighting the militants have turned their attention to evicting U.S. troops from the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, Islamic State group sleeper cells intensified ambushes in Iraq and Syria in the past few weeks, killing and wounding dozens of their opponents in both countries. Activists and residents say the attacks have intensified since the U.S. killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a Jan. 3 drone strike at Baghdad\u2019s airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is not clear whether the uptick is related to the repercussions that followed from the strike, and it is possible some of the attacks had been planned before Soleimani\u2019s killing. U.S. officials deny seeing any particular increase in IS activities. \u201cThey haven\u2019t taken advantage of it, as far as we can see,\u201d said James Jeffrey, the State Department envoy to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mervan Qamishlo, a spokesman for Syria\u2019s U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force, said the intensification of ISIS attacks began even earlier, since October, when Turkey began a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2020\/01\/18\/isis-leader-jabba-the-hutt-captured-taken-away-in-pickup-truck-bed\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-17-at-4.15.42-PM.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">ISIS leader \u2018Jabba the Hutt\u2019 captured, taken away in pickup truck bed<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A good day for security, but a bad day for Iraq\u2019s delivery food service industry.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the militants clearly gained at least temporary breathing room as the killing of Soleimani, along with a senior Iraqi militia leader, brought Iran and the U.S. to the brink of all-out war and outraged Iraqis, who considered the strike a flagrant breach of sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Jan. 5, Iraq\u2019s parliament called for the expulsion of the 5,200 U.S. troops from the country who have been there since 2014 on a mission to train Iraqi forces and assist in the fight against ISIS. The U.S.-led coalition then put the fight against ISIS on hold to focus on protecting its troops and bases. It said last week that it had resumed those operations after a 10-day halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis tension will for sure help Daesh, as all forces fighting it become busy with other matters,\u201d warned Abdullah Suleiman Ali, a Syrian researcher who focuses on jihadi groups, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among other things, he said Iran-U.S. tensions help give ISIS the opportunity to restructure as its new leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, strengthens his grip. Al-Qurayshi was announced in the post after longtime leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by a U.S. raid in Syria in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe day the American-Iranian clash began, Daesh started intensifying its attacks,\u201d said Rami Aburrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Jan. 14, ISIS launched a cross border attack from Syria into Iraq, killing an Iraqi officer. A day later, ISIS fighters attacked an Iraqi force in the central Salaheddine region, killing two soldiers and wounding five. Two days later, an Iraqi intelligence major was killed in a car bomb north of Baghdad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the deadliest attacks occurred in Syria on Jan. 14, when ISIS fighters stole some 2,000 cattle from a village near the eastern town of Mayadeen. One of the four shepherds that own the cattle informed authorities, and a Syrian government military force was sent to the area, where they were met by ISIS fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the forces returned to their base, ISIS gunmen laid an ambush, killing 11 troops and pro-government fighters as well as two shepherds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISIS published photos showing bodies of soldiers said to have been killed in the attack, along with a destroyed armored vehicle and an overturned truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the same day, seven shepherds were found shot dead west of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. On Jan. 4, 21 shepherds were found shot in the back of their heads, their hands were tied behind their backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dozens of members of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian democratic Forces have been killed over the past months in attacks claimed by ISIS as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the painful strikes, ISIS is \u201ctaking advantage to boost its influence\u201d and send a message to their supporters that they are still strong, said Omar Abu Laila, an activist from Deir el-Zour now based in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome civilians don\u2019t dare leave their homes after sunset because of fear of Daesh,\u201d Abu Laila said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/27\/islamic-state-vows-to-attack-israel-and-blasts-us-mideast-plan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mosul-3317.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Islamic State vows to attack Israel and blasts US Mideast plan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Islamic State group vowed in an audio message released Monday that the extremists will start a new phase of attacks that will focus on Israel and blasted the U.S. administration\u2019s plan to resolve the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group is also trying to restore its presence on social media and the Internet \u2014 a key component to its ability to raise financial support from abroad and recruit new fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISIS members and supporters have for years sown fear and projected power with the grisly videos they released on social media showing beheadings, amputations and victims burned to death or thrown from buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent weeks, European authorities, coordinated by Europol, have shut down thousands of ISIS propaganda platforms and communication channels in an unprecedented crackdown. In particular, the crackdown forced ISIS\u2019s news agency and other channels off the Telegram text messaging system, the group\u2019s primary outlet since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Europol campaign of November had a massive impact on ISIS support networks on Telegram,\u201d said Amarnath Amarasingam, a terrorism researcher at Queen\u2019s University in Ontario, Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, the extremists have shifted to other messaging platforms including the Russia-based TamTam, Canada-based Hoop Messenger and BCM Messenger. They also tried to get back on Twitter using hacked accounts, Amarasingam said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, those efforts have not been very successful as international authorities work to chase them down on those outlets as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNone of this is really matching the presence they had on Telegram from 2015 onwards,\u201d Amarasingam said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Islamic State group\u2019s self-styled \u201ccaliphate\u201d across parts of Iraq and Syria seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1230],"class_list":["post-25756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"H3ZEU2XTAZDV5OJD3I6EPPDWJM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/28\/isis-tries-to-stage-comeback-amid-rising-us-iran-tensions\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ISIS tries to stage comeback amid rising US-Iran tensions - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Islamic State group\u2019s self-styled \u201ccaliphate\u201d across parts of Iraq and Syria seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ISIS tries to stage comeback amid rising US-Iran tensions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Islamic State group\u2019s self-styled \u201ccaliphate\u201d across parts of Iraq and Syria seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2020\/01\/28\/isis-tries-to-stage-comeback-amid-rising-us-iran-tensions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-28T23:59:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:42:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta 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