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The protests against French President Macron have shown it: ISIS has regained power in Syria. In particular, they are gaining influence in the areas controlled by Turkey.
By Alexander Bühler and Daniel Hechler, SWR
It is like an image of yesteryear: hooded men pose with black flags bearing the creed of Islam at a crossroads in Ras al-Ain. They are the flags of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS).
At a demonstration last Friday, they took out some participants and put them in front of the crowd. On the other hand, they light the French tricolor and shout “God is great.” An oppressive scene filmed by Kurdish activists, from all places in the border town of Ras el-Ain, the birthplace of the Kurdish YPG militia.
In 2011 they rose up against Assad here, and in 2012 they rejected the Islamists from the Nusra Front. Years of Kurdish self-rule followed. For many, these have been happy years. In late 2019, Erdogan’s troops finally occupied the small town with the support of the Islamist militias. They have been in charge here ever since.
ISIS uses protests against France
Things have been boiling in many places in the Arab world since French President Emmanuel Macron placed the Mohammed cartoons under the protection of free speech. The “Islamic State” is using this outrage to publicize itself again and is obviously getting it approval. Even in the last rebel stronghold, Idlib, anger is simmering. The northeastern province of Syria is also controlled by radical Islamists.
In several cities, thousands demonstrated against the Muhammad cartoons last Friday and justified the attacks in France. “If someone insults the prophet, it is just and a sacred duty to kill him as well,” says Aziz Asmar. The older man is not alone in this. Another man thinks about the attackers in Paris and Nice ARD-Studio Kairo: “These young people, these fighters defend their religion and the prophet!”
Ahmed Dakel, from the small town of Binnesh, even believes that the murderer wanted to defend the Prophet Muhammad. “The French government is responsible for the attacks and bloodshed for allowing these degrading images of the Prophet!” Many stores boycott French products: cheese, butter, tobacco, and even perfumes. Turkish imports take their place.
Islamists under the protection of Turkey
Idlib is also under the control of Turkey. Turkish units have taken up positions at various observation posts. Ankara military vehicles patrol the province, keeping Assad’s troops at bay. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a protective hand over Idlib. Otherwise, the Islamists would have no chance against the Syrian and Russian superiority.
Islamists have long taken a foothold in the Turkish-occupied border strip between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain in northeastern Syria. Most of the Kurdish residents have fled. Instead, Sunni Arabs from eastern Ghouta, Deir Ezzour and Aleppo now live here. Erdogan installed them here, a population exchange at the expense of the Kurds.
Thousands of militiamen in the region
The Islamist Jaish al-Islam militia in Ras al-Ain alone maintains around 1,000 fighters, as suspected by Bassam Alahmad, director of the Syrian organization for Truth and Justice. It has a network of independent experts in place to document the numerous human rights violations. According to his estimate, this group has a total of 10,000 people.
There are four other groups of such Islamists, a good breeding ground for ISIS, emerging again here, not far from its former capital, Raqqa, apparently with the approval of Turkey.
New attacks almost every day
IS cells are again carrying out attacks in other regions of Syria, often from an ambush. Hardly a day goes by without a new terror report: a freshly buried landmine killing a Kurdish soldier, the bodies of two soldiers were found southwest of Raqqa.
It is difficult to estimate how many IS followers still have in this region. With specific needle sticks, they want to spread fear and terror, not only in the desert between Iraq and Syria, but also along the Euphrates River in the area of Kurdish self-government.
IS has a full war chest
Many IS sympathizers who were held in Kurdish prisons or camps were able to flee or were released because the self-government was desperately overwhelmed by their attention. Now they are gaining ground in the region. A study by the Center for Global Policy in Washington states that until April the IS carried out a well-prepared attack every three days, because the IS managed to save a large part of its finances: hundreds of millions of euros still remained in its war chest.
This can also be used to recruit new recruits who want to enforce the laws of the “Islamic State” again. Business owners in Kurdish cities, for example, are encouraged not to employ women. Anyone who violates this should expect an explosive attack. The return of the terrorist militia in Syria is taking shape.
