US research institute warns against regrouping of 'Islamic State' in Syria
The American Middle East Institute announced in an extensive research report that the developments witnessed in the Syrian arena during 2026 indicate an unprecedented decline in the capabilities of the "Islamic State" organization, warning at the same time that the organization has a long history of rebuilding itself after periods of weakness, which calls for the continuation of joint Syrian and international efforts to prevent its return.
The institute explained that northeastern Syria has undergone "dramatic" transformations this year, most notably the transition of a third of the country to government control within a few days, and then the acceleration of the process of integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces into state institutions.
According to the report, four new brigades have been formed so far, including 5,200 members of the SDF that have become part of the Syrian Ministry of Defense's chain of command, with about 10,000 additional elements expected to be integrated into the Ministry of Interior, including at least 1,000 women.
The report pointed out that this operation, despite its complexity, is proceeding at an encouraging pace, and that its repercussions appeared directly on the activity of the "Islamic State", as after the defeat of the "SDF" in January 2026, and then the withdrawal of US forces, the number of attacks of the organization decreased by 17% during the first months of the year, before the percentage dropped to 67% after the US withdrawal, in the largest decline recorded since 2013.
ISIS carries out 8 attacks in May
During May alone, the group carried out only eight attacks that resulted in four deaths, compared to a monthly average of 29 attacks in 2025.
The fall of the SDF, which was a precursor to the group's activity in Arab-majority areas, was a severe blow to the group's ability to recruit and move. 90% of the group's attacks in 2025 took place inside SDF-controlled areas, as it tried to exploit popular anger toward its administration. With the disappearance of this factor, the group's ability to work on the ground declined sharply.
The collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 was another turning point, as it allowed US forces to carry out more than 75 raids on the group's positions in the desert within a few hours of the fall of the former regime, but the biggest loss for the group, according to the institute, was the emergence of a new government in Damascus that "sought to represent and empower the Syrian majority", which caused the group to lose one of the most important sources of recruitment on which it had relied for years.
The report noted that the Syrian Ministry of Interior and the General Intelligence Directorate have become the main bodies responsible for counterterrorism inside the country, with operational cooperation and information sharing with international partners, led by the United States.
Syrian officials: The remnants of the organization have no organizational structure
The institute quoted Syrian officials as saying that the remnants of the organization are now "a group of scattered individuals without an organizational structure", which reflects the slow decline of terrorist groups.
The report pointed out that over the past years, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has relied on a wide network of "infiltrators" within the organization's cells, which enabled the security services to carry out qualitative operations that resulted in the arrest of prominent leaders, including the commander-in-chief of the group's operations in Syria, during a series of raids that took place between December 2025 and January 2026.
Supporting Syrian local capabilities, through training, information sharing, and security infrastructure development, is the most effective way to ensure that the group does not return, stressing that security cooperation between Damascus and Washington—which has been "at a standstill" according to a previous report by the U.S. Department of Defense's inspector general—is now an insurmountable necessity in the context of international counterterrorism efforts.
The Ministry of Interior announces the arrest of 235 members of the "Islamic State" organization
The Ministry of Interior revealed that 235 people suspected of belonging to the "Islamic State" organization were arrested and 7 cells linked to the organization listed on international terrorism lists were dismantled.
This came in a statement published by the ministry on its official identifiers, on the evening of Monday, June 8, on the outcome of the security operations of the Counter-Terrorism Department against the "Islamic State" as part of the efforts aimed at enhancing security, stability and combating terrorist activities.
Security operations led to "the arrest of 235 people, including 198 Syrians and 37 foreigners, in addition to the dismantling of 7 cells linked to the group", the statistics showed, explaining that the security services carried out "seven raids and pursuits, which were distributed and resulted in the seizure of weapons and equipment suspected of being used in activities linked to the group".
According to the ministry's statement, the highest number of detainees was recorded during the month of April with 99 arrests, followed by March with 80 arrests, and then in May with 56 arrests, including 71 in Deir Ezzor and 35 in Aleppo.
About 20,000 ISIS mercenaries flee in Syria
An official report issued by the U.S. Department of Defense's Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve, in cooperation with intelligence services, said that between 15,000 and 20,000 people suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group and their families had fled after security chaos and mass escapes from camps and prisons in northeastern Syria.
The newly released US report said US assessments had identified a near-complete evacuation of the sprawling al-Hol camp, with its population falling from about 23,400 to just under 1,500, as a result of mass fleeing and organised smuggling of women and families linked to the group.
Nearly 1,500 hardline prisoners escaped from al-Shaddadi prison, amid security chaos that accompanied military withdrawals and a change in control of territory, allowing the group elements to exploit loopholes and disappear into vast desert areas, the report said.