ISIS reactivating fighters, eyeing Syria, Iraq return

West Asia leaders and their Western allies have been warning that Islamic State could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the extremist group once imposed a reign of terror over millions.

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Islamic State (IS) has been attempting just that, according to more than 20 sources, including security and political officials from Syria, Iraq, the US and Europe, as well as diplomats in the region.

Security operatives in Syria and Iraq, who have been monitoring IS for years, said they foiled at least a dozen major plots this year. A case in point came in December, the month Syria’s Bashar Assad was toppled.

As rebels were advancing on Damascus, IS commanders holed up near Raqqa, former capital of their self-declared caliphate, dispatched two envoys to Iraq. The envoys carried verbal instructions to the group’s followers to launch attacks.