ISIS Kills Seven Kurdish Fighters in North Syria

Attackers overran a checkpoint belonging to the Kurdish SDF today near the Syrian city of Manbij. Seven SDF fighters were killed in the attack, and ISIS issued a statement claiming they were responsible.

It’s not hard to see why ISIS would want to take credit for this attack, as it comes in the wake of a defeat suffered by ISIS forces in the village of Baghouz, the loss of their last territory, the faction clearly wants to make it clear they are still operational.

Neither the SDF nor the fighters in Manbij wanted to contest the narrative either, as the idea of ISIS still posing an operational threat would be a boost to their push for the US to further slow a promised drawdown.

This is the second time ISIS carried out an attack at a time opportune to justifying a continued US presence, with a similar January attack also in Manbij. For ISIS to remain relevant on a global scale, keeping US forces bogged down fighting them is clearly a priority, and one that the US is only too willing to fall for.