Syria Situation Report: May 13-26

By Michael Land (ISW Syria Team) and Will Christou (Syria Direct)

Key Takeaway: Multiple ISIS attacks in southern and eastern Syria as well as a possible assassination in Idlib Province demonstrate the group’s continued reach across Syria as it reconstitutes across both Syria and Iraq. The attacks occurred in late May and marked the culmination of ISIS’s 2020 Ramadan campaign. A possible US drone struck a reported ISIS commander in the Turkish-occupied Afrin area of Aleppo Province, indicating the group may retain a presence in that area.

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Correction: A previous version of this map mislabeled the yellow region as “SDF-Dominated, Regime Presence” and the red-striped purple region as “Turkey-Opposition.” The key has been updated to correct this error. The red-striped purple region is “SDF-Dominated, Regime Presence” and the yellow region is “Turkey-Opposition.”