THE numbers are chilling. In an orgy of violence orchestrated by the militant Islamic State group in the southern Syrian governorate of Sweida on Wednesday, there have been reports of nearly 250 deaths — around 135 of them civilian. The terrorist group had unleashed a series of suicide bombings and gun attacks in the area mostly inhabited by members of the Druze community. While the Syrian government and its backers — Russia and Iran — as well as the US-led coalition have been successful in freeing much of Syrian territory from IS, the recent attacks show that the self-styled caliphate can still carry out acts of mass violence. While IS does not have the same capabilities it had when it swept across large swathes of Syria and Iraq, it is not a spent force.

The key to defeating IS, and other militants in the region, lies in a stable Syria. While the level of violence there has come down, with the Assad regime having the upper hand against its opponents and jihadi groups, a sustained campaign against militancy cannot succeed unless the civil war comes to a negotiated end. And that scenario does not appear to be on the horizon. If anything, there is a threat of new fronts opening up in Syria; Israel has been indulging in misadventures by repeatedly violating Syrian sovereignty and launching strikes inside the country, targeted at Mr Assad’s Iranian allies. Tel Aviv believes that Iran and Hezbollah are perilously close to its positions in the occupied Golan. Moreover, the US support to Syrian Kurds has not gone down well with Turkey. Unless these issues are resolved, the battle against militancy will only be half won.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2018