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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/14/islamic-state-isis-syria-sdf/
Down But Not Defeated, Thousands of Islamic State Insurgents Wage Syrian Fight Anew
(Washington Post) Louisa Loveluck - Two and a half years after its caliphate was extinguished by a U.S.-led coalition, Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria are down but not defeated. They have melted back to their insurgent roots, seeding sleeper cells across the region, as well as in neighboring Iraq, and using improvised explosives and small arms to target security forces and government employees. This part of Syria is run by a Kurdish-dominated authority and secured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Some 900 U.S. troops are still in the area, patrolling oil infrastructure and supporting the SDF. The U.S.-led coalition estimates that between 8,000 and 16,000 Islamic State fighters still operate in Syria and Iraq.