ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was killed in an attack carried out by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northeast Syria (Rojava), a war monitor reported on Thursday, highlighting a surge in ISIS activity against the Kurdish-led forces. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that an SDF fighter “was killed in a direct gunfire attack” by “an ISIS cell near the village of Taima in the Tal Hamis area” of Hasaka province. The attackers reportedly fled the scene. Last week, the SDF reported that two of their fighters were killed on Wednesday evening in “a machine-gun attack” by “two ISIS cell members in the town of al-Bahra, located in the Hajin district” southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The SDF condemned the incident as a "cowardly and desperate attempt" by ISIS sleeper cells to "reassert their presence amid ongoing military pressure." They emphasized that such attacks will not weaken their resolve and affirmed their commitment to continuing efforts to eliminate ISIS remnants and ensure security across northern and eastern Syria. “We will not hesitate to pursue the remnants of the ISIS terrorist organization until it is completely eliminated,” the Kurdish-led forces asserted. Backed by the United States, the SDF functions as the de facto military force in Rojava and remains a key partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Since its territorial defeat in Syria in 2019, ISIS has been trying to regain its strength, particularly after a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8 toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. SOHR on Thursday pointed to a significant uptick in ISIS operations in areas controlled by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). According to the war monitor, “ISIS has carried out 152 operations” in DAANES-administered regions since the beginning of 2025. These include “armed assaults, targeted killings, and bombings.” The operations have resulted in 64 deaths, comprising 45 SDF fighters, one SDF-affiliated member, ten civilians, and eight ISIS militants, according to SOHR. Of note, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has consistently warned about the ongoing threat posed by ISIS, particularly within detention centers and displacement camps housing suspected ISIS members and their families in Rojava. In January, Abdi underscored the need for intensified efforts, stating, “If we don’t want to see ISIS make a comeback, we must continue the fight with greater urgency.”
