Islamic State – Hawran Province
| Islamic State – Hawran Province | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | July 2018[1] – present |
| Ideology | Islamic Statism |
| Size | 1,900–2,400+ (in 2018)[2][3] |
| Part of | Islamic State |
| Opponents | Ba'athist Syria (until 2024) Syria (since 2024) Russia Israel[4] Jordan[5] |
The Islamic State – Hawran Province (Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية حوران, romanized: -Dawlah al-Islāmīyah – Wilāyat Ḥawrān) is an administrative division of the Islamic State in Southern Syria.
Background
The group enforced the Islamic State’s form of Sharia. In the small pocket the group controlled, its fighters forced women to wear burqas and men to wear loose trousers and to grow long hair and beards. Since 2016, the group had executed more than 20 people, mostly in the town of Shajara, by beheading. The group had also locked smokers in cages and amputated people on allegations of theft.[6]
History
On 3 July 2018, the group became involved in the 2018 Southern Syria offensive, after launching an attack on pro-government forces in Western Daraa. They were the suspected perpetrators of a coordinated series of attacks near As-Suwayda on July 25 that killed more than 250 people and injured scores more.
Since mid-2018, IS has referred to its territory in Syria simply as Wilāyat ash-Shām and has done the same with Iraq calling it Wilāyat al-ʿIrāq, but still continues to acknowledge and use references to specific regions in those territories, this has also been done with its claims in Yemen and Libya.[7]
In September 2019, the group released photos of a captured Syrian government intelligence officer in Daraa and later executed him.[8][9]
On 5 November 2019, fighters from Islamic State – Hawran Province released photos after the death of ISIL's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, pledging allegiance to his successor Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.[10]
On 22 December 2019, Islamic State – Hawran Province announced that its fighters managed to kill 2 Russian soldiers in the town of Tasil.[11]
On 22 May 2025, the Islamic State detonated a car bomb targeted a vehicle belonging to Syrian Armed Forces in the Al-Safa region of Suwayda Governorate. The group claimed the bombing killed or wounded seven soldiers,[12] however, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the attack on government forces had only killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers.[13] This is considered the first such attack to be claimed by the Islamic State against the Syrian transitional government since the fall of the 54-year Assad family's rule in December.[13][14][15]
On 28 May 2025, the Islamic State carried out another bombing in the Al-Safa region of Suwayda Governorate, targeting fighters from the U.S.-backed Syrian Free Army. The group used an improvised explosive device to strike a vehicle belonging to the Free Syrian Army, claiming to have killed one fighter and wounded three others.[16][13][17]
Battles, Wars and Massacres
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Andrew Illingworth. "8,000 to 11,000 ISIS militants still present across Syria – estimates". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Over 400 rebels allegedly defect to ISIS in west Daraa". Al-Masdar. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Kershner, Isabel (27 November 2016). "Israel Defense Forces Kill 4 ISIS-Linked Attackers in Golan Heights". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "ISIS group expands in southern Syria near Israel border". 20 February 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "'Damn these times we live in': In a forgotten corner of Syria, Islamic State-inspired militia imposes 'brutal' rule". Syria:direct. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (26 September 2018). "Islamic State Shifts From Provinces and Governance to Global Insurgency". Global Observatory. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". pbs.twimg.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". pbs.twimg.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Islamic State's Bayat Campaign".
- ^ "Archived copy". pbs.twimg.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Iran Update, May 30, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall". AP News. 30 May 2025. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ Agencies. "ISIS claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "ISIL (ISIS) launches first attacks against new Syrian government". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "ISIS strikes first blow against Syrian government forces under new leadership". 26 May 2025. Archived from the original on 7 Jun 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. "Diary of the Syrian Transition - April 17-June 14, 2025, Part 1". www.jihadologyplus.com. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Breaking: ISIS launches first attack on Syrian Army troops in west Daraa". 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
