As ISIS Threat Re-Emerges in Syria, YPJ Forces Step Up Operations in 2025

HASAKEH, North and East Syria — A senior commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) said this week that since early 2025, 60 operations have been carried out in North and East Syria to target Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells, resulting in 64 arrests, including three top commanders.  

Rohlat Afrin, a member of the YPJ General Command, revealed the figures in an exclusive interview with Hawar News Agency (ANHA), highlighting what she described as the “escalating threat” posed by the group’s clandestine resurgence amid Syria’s ongoing political vacuum. 

“ISIS was defeated geographically in 2019, but it was never fully eradicated,” Afrin said. “Its operatives have only become more sophisticated—more ideological, more covert, and more embedded in the chaos.” 

Resurgent Threat in a Fractured Syria 

The operations, conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—a coalition backed by the U.S.-led Global Coalition—have been concentrated in key flashpoints like Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor), Raqqa, and Hasakah. According to Rohlat Afrin, these missions have not only prevented planned attacks on refugee camps and detention centers but also dismantled several emerging ISIS networks. 

Six ISIS fighters were reportedly killed during the operations, and those captured revealed active plans to exploit Syria’s fragmented landscape—one that has become fertile ground for extremist ideology following years of war, foreign intervention, and the collapse of central authority. 

“They plant mines, launch ambushes, and manipulate people under religious pretexts,” Afrin said. “Their goal is to reignite fear and disorder—not just in our region, but across all of Syria.” 

A Desert Sanctuary for Militants 

Afrin pointed to Syria’s vast eastern desert, near the Iraq border, as a critical staging ground for ISIS fighters. Many of the militants, she said, infiltrate across borders using aliases or false identities, taking advantage of lax security and complicit or indifferent governments in neighboring states. 

“Through interrogations, we’ve learned that many come from countries that either look the other way or fail to take their nationals back,” she said. “This is not a Syrian problem alone. It is a global one.” 

ISIS-linked violence has also flared in unexpected regions, including the Syrian coast and the southern province of Suwayda, highlighting the group’s expanding footprint and ideological reach. 

A Call for Sustained Global Cooperation 

While Afrin acknowledged the logistical and intelligence support provided by the International Coalition, she cautioned that current levels of international involvement remain insufficient to match the scale of the threat. 

“There are thousands of ISIS members in camps and prisons. Many are not Syrian. Without sustained international cooperation, we cannot secure these facilities alone,” she warned. 

The risk, she added, is not merely local. “If these prisons fail, we will be facing not just a Syrian crisis, but a renewed global security crisis.” 

Afrin urged Western governments to repatriate their citizens currently detained in the region and to increase political and material support to frontline forces such as the SDF, YPG, and YPJ. 

Holding the Line—and Seeking Peace 

Despite the grim outlook, Afrin remained resolute. She emphasized that the armed forces of North and East Syria will continue to lead counterterrorism efforts while reinforcing security at refugee camps and detention centers. 

“These operations are about protecting our communities, but also about safeguarding the world from another ISIS caliphate,” she said. 

Afrin closed with a direct appeal to the region’s residents and political actors: “Everyone must realize that the threat of ISIS has not gone away. Its victims will once again be our own people. To avoid this, we need vigilance, cooperation, and a shared sense of responsibility.” 

As Syria continues to unravel, and the world’s attention shifts elsewhere, Afrin’s words carry a sobering message: The battle against ISIS is far from over—and may only just be beginning again.