ISIS Announces 'New Phase' of Operations in Syria as U.S. Military Withdraws

The Islamic State has announced a 'new phase' of operations in Syria, seizing on the chaos created by the U.S. military's withdrawal from the country as American forces and attention shift to the Iran campaign. The announcement raises the specter of an ISIS resurgence in the very territory where the terrorist group once declared a caliphate — and where the surviving Christian communities of Syria and Iraq remain among the most vulnerable populations on earth. The withdrawal of American forces, who had served as a stabilizing presence in northeastern Syria alongside Kurdish allies, creates a security vacuum that ISIS has been waiting years to exploit. For the estimated 2 million Christians remaining in Syria and Iraq, the combination of ISIS resurgence and American departure is an existential threat.