Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. US-Backed Forces Crack Down on Resurgent Islamic State Jeff Seldin WASHINGTON - U.S.-led coalition special operation forces hit back against an Islamic State cell in Syria, capturing a midlevel leader linked to a rise in attacks by the terror group in the Deir el-Zourcountryside. Coalition officials on Thursday hailed the mission's success but shared few details about Wednesday's raid, which included members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).'¯'¯ The raid was at least the second in the Deir el-Zourarea in the past week.AnSDF-led operation on May 1 resulted in the arrest of an IS cell inHajinthat had been targeting U.S.-backed forces in the eastern countryside of Deir el-Zour. It also came as SDF commanders continue to raise concerns about what they see as a sizable increase in IS operations over the past month. A source close to the SDF told VOAthatmany of the attacks have involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs), but that attacks involving IS fighters have been increasingly lethal.'¯ 'Significantly diminished' Coalition officials admit there is reason for concern, but caution against interpreting the surge in activity as a sign the terror group is close to regaining its former strength, either in Syria or in Iraq.'¯ "There is an increase in Daesh activity this time of year, but that activity is significantly diminished compared to this time in 2019," according to Lieutenant Colonel SavannahHalleaux, with the coalition's Special Operations Joint Task Force, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. "Despite what Daesh remnants are advertising, their attacks in Iraq are far less than in previous years,"Halleauxsaid. "They are attempting to keep themselves relevant through disinformation on social media, regular media, and amplifying their messages for recruitment."'¯'¯ Coalition officials also point out that IS efforts to assert itself are not going unanswered. "The recent flurry of ISIS activity has been met by a blizzard," coalition spokesman Colonel MylesCagginssaid, referring to a series of operations carried out by Iraqi security forces in recent weeks, sometimes with the help of coalition airpower. BREAKING: Coalition airstrikes on April 29 "demolish" [1]#ISIS cave complex in [2]#Iraq's [3]#Hamrin Mountains, per [4]@CJTFOIR The 10 caves were used to smuggle weapons, key leaders & plot attacks. Initial estimates show 5-10 [5]#Deash fighters killed, per officials[6]https://t.co/yyBHiKuTMY -- Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) [7]April 30, 2020 Other key officials have also pushed back against the spreading narrative of a resurgent and more capable IS due inparttothe coronavirus pandemic. "We do not believe that ISIS has been able to exploit seriously the COVID crisis to advance in the northeast [of Syria]," saidAmbassador James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for Syria, using another acronym for the terror group.'¯ Hot spot "The area around Deir el-Zouris, as we say these days, a hot spot. We're watching that closely, but we are confident that we have it under control," he added. Still, even officials like Jeffrey harbor serious concerns about IS'sstaying power. Despite the collapse of the group's self-declared caliphate last March, intelligence estimates indicate IS still commands at least 14,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq.'¯ Intelligence officials also note that there has been [8]little disruption to IS activity in Iraq and Syria since a U.S. operation led to the death of former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October2019. References 1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISIS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iraq?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hamrin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 4. https://twitter.com/CJTFOIR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 5. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Deash?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 6. https://t.co/yyBHiKuTMY 7. https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1255940203505737729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 8. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/islamic-state-poised-comeback-us-defense-officials-report .