As U.S. withdraws troops from Afghanistan and Syria collapses, ISIS becomes increasingly unchallenged
The threat posed by the Islamic State once again made headlines Wednesday, New Year’s Day, when a man with possible ties to the terror network carried out an attack on a crowded street in New Orleans.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen and veteran who lives in Texas, drove a pickup truck with an ISIS flag on Bourbon Street ), resulting in at least 15 deaths and dozens of injuries.
However, the FBI has not confirmed that he has a direct “connection” or “association” with the notorious terrorist network, which has expanded globally in recent years, particularly in regions such as the Sahel in Africa, despite claims in 2019 The Internet has been “defeated”.
In the early morning of New Year’s Day in New Orleans on January 1, 2025, a man allegedly drove his car into a crowd, killing at least 15 people. Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were working on the scene. (Michael DeMock/Getty Images)
Who is Shamsuddin Jabbar? What we know about New Orleans New Year’s Eve terrorist suspects
Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of The Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital: “Declaring that ISIS has been defeated is just as premature as claiming that Al Qaeda has been defeated. “These groups may encounter setbacks, but they persevere.”
“Islamic State poses a threat from Afghanistan. It has important networks in Africa, especially in the Sahel, East Africa, Somalia. Its networks in Iraq and Syria still exist,” he added.
While the FBI has not confirmed that the New Orleans attacker was directly involved with ISIS, reports say he clearly sympathized with the terror network and “pledged allegiance to ISIS” in a series of videos posted on his Facebook page, The New reported ”. York Times.
The FBI has not yet released a motive for the attack, and Roggio explained that the incident was unlikely to be indicative of a “resurgence” of the Islamic State, although the security expert did stress that terrorist networks are increasingly finding themselves confronted in their operations. There is less and less resistance.
The 2021 troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria last month by an al-Qaeda spin-off group known as Tahrir al-Sham have left a security vacuum in the Middle East and South Asia — similar to the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq After the withdrawal, the Islamic State emerged. Security experts warn that Islamic State and other terror networks could exploit these power disparities.
On December 8, in Damascus, Syria, people gathered in Umayyad Square and raised guns to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime. (Ali Haji Suleiman/Getty Images)
23 years after the 9/11 incident, “Islamic State” and “Al Qaeda” continue to expand, and the global war on terrorism intensifies
ISIS-K – the regional branch of the terror group that originated in Iraq and Syria – came to international attention in August 2021 when it attacked Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover during the U.S. withdrawal, using suicide bombings to kill Thirteen U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan civilians were killed.
The Taliban’s takeover has raised concerns that Afghanistan will become a haven for terrorists such as Taliban-ally al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other jihadist groups, although there are also concerns that Afghanistan’s new governing body will be unable to oppose the Islamic State-K.
After the collapse of the democratic government and the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Islamic State group has been largely unable to thrive in Afghanistan, but it no longer faces strong opposition.
“The Taliban and ISIS are enemies. The Taliban would go after ISIS even if we weren’t there – that doesn’t make them a counterterrorism partner, but now they no longer face a dual threat – the United States against ISIS, the Taliban against ISIS – —They have greater freedom of movement,” Roggio said.
A fighter from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) carries ISIL flags and weapons on a street in the city of Mosul on June 23, 2014. (Reuters photo)
Trump could face new ISIS threat in Syria as Türkiye goes after U.S. allies
The security expert said that when it comes to Afghanistan and the threat posed to the United States and its Western allies, the Taliban and al-Qaeda still pose a greater threat than ISIS, although he stressed that ISIS does increasingly have “more operating space”.
“The Assad regime is the enemy of ISIS,” Roggio said. “One of ISIS’s enemies has been removed, so this will give ISIS more space to regroup in areas where it already has significant presence.”
However, ISIS has deep roots in the third region and could resurgence if the United States withdraws its forces from the region again.
The Biden administration announced in September that the United States would end its military mission against the Islamic State in Iraq by 2026, in coordination with the Iraqi government. For the United States, this could further endanger American soldiers still fighting terrorist networks in Syria.
Details of the withdrawal remain unclear, with no plans to renegotiate changes to the withdrawal plan following the fall of Assad’s regime and uncertainty over Syria.
Given the president-elect’s push to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan during his first term, the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to push for U.S. troops to remain in Iraq despite the threat posed by the Islamic State.
On May 27, 2024, soldiers participating in “Operation Resolve” lined up to salute the American flag during a Memorial Day ceremony held at the Third Alliance in Baghdad. (U.S. Army)
Click here to get the Fox News app
“The United States must decide whether it wants to stay in Iraq and Syria to confront ISIS and other targeted groups,” Roggio said. “If it decides to stay, it needs to step up [its] It exists to deter threats from militia groups that attack U.S. troops.
“U.S. efforts to suppress ISIS are critical. Without the U.S. presence, groups like ISIS will thrive out of lawlessness,” the security expert added. “As bad as the Assad regime is, it’s a terrible one.” regime, but it does fight ISIS – so without their presence there would be another terrorist group that nominally controls large swaths of Syria.
“As we learned in Afghanistan, you cannot trust terrorists to fight other terrorists,” Roggio added.
Fox News Digital was unable to reach the Trump transition team for comment on its plans for U.S. troops in the Middle East.
