Why IS remains a threat | DW Documentary

Is the world facing a resurgence of the so-called Islamic State (IS)? In northern Syria, many former IS fighters are imprisoned in hard-to-secure prisons. Among their children, the next generation of jihadists is growing up. A severe earthquake in February 2023 brought northern Syria back into the international spotlight. It’s a region that has long gone unnoticed, despite the fact that the so-called Islamic State (IS), a terrorist organization, had its stronghold here. Though it was defeated militarily, IS could regain strength from here. This would have international repercussions. Filmmaker Kawa Akrawi visited northeastern Syria’s autonomous, democratically governed area in 2022. In this region inhabited predominantly by Kurds, the filmmaker experienced the difficulties faced by the local population up close. Here in “Rojava,“ as the region is known by the Kurds, the Kurdish militia YPG, backed by U.S. forces, fought against IS until 2019; thousands of fighters have been kil