Sleeper Cell Report March 2026 – ISIS activity continues after February’s vow to attack new Syrian government

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Al-Hol camp in 2022

Key Points:

  • 12 attacks in former DAANES territory injure three and kill two
  • 16 suspected ISIS members arrested in former DAANES territory
  • 10 attacks in the rest of Syria 
  • Iraqi prisons holding ISIS detainees hit by airstrikes

 

In Depth

After a declaration in mid-February by ISIS that they would be stepping up actions against the Syrian Transitional Government the group launched 12 attacks in March inside DAANES’ 2025 borders. The attacks injured three and killed a further two units from the military and internal security forces meanwhile no civilians were harmed in attacks this month. These attacks and two raids led to the arrest of 16 suspected ISIS members.

These attacks were primarily against military and Internal Security Forces targets in Deir ez-Zor and included several targeted assassinations rather than the more common tactic of attacking checkpoints and convoys. There were also two attacks in Raqqa, leading to four arrests and one man from Heseke who was kidnapped and killed before his body was dumped near Serekaniye.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that several houses in Kobane countryside that had previously been occupied by the Syrian military during its advance in January had been left ransacked and looted. On the walls of some of these houses ISIS slogans and insignia had been painted on the walls

Elsewhere, along the western bank of the Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor there were two raids and two attacks which resulted in no casualties and four arrests. Now there is no hard border along the Euphrates between DAANES and the rest of Syria it is expected sleeper cells will find it easier to operate on both sides of the Euphrates as the region is reintegrated.

The rest of Syria witnessed eight attacks by suspected ISIS sleeper cells, with five of these happening in the Aleppo governorate and the others taking place either near Idlib or Homs. These attacks were far more deadly than those in or near North East Syria with 12 military or security forces personnel killed and two injured. There were no arrests.

The collapse of al-Hol camp has left thousands of ISIS-linked women and children without a clear path back to their countries and an uncertain future in Syria. Some experts have expressed fears that leaving these vulnerable people without support or a plan for their reintegration into society leaves them open to exploitation, radicalisation and recruitment into ISIS.

After the U.S. completed the transfer of 5700 ISIS fighters to Iraqi prisons, the Iraqi prisons housing them were hit by airstrikes. The airstrikes were part of the ongoing war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran. Officials voiced fears that such strikes could cause detainees, including high ranking ISIS officials and leaders to escape.