Baghdad, (Syria Edition) - So, remember ISIS? The fellas who gave the Left conniptions and the libs fits? Well, they're back! Looks like their beta test in Syria is over, and they're dropping a new patch. Seems like the locals aren't exactly vibing with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his 'progressive' policies. Who could have seen that coming?

Baghuz, the place where ISIS had its last stand (before respawning, obvs), is still a bit of a mess. But an anonymous activist says the boys are back in town, reminiscing about the good ol' days of the Caliphate. Bet they weren't talking about pronouns and gender studies back then. Just sayin'.

Deir ez-Zor is apparently crawling with ISIS sympathizers. Civil society activist Deeban Harwil can spot 'em a mile away based on their 'dress and habits'. Translation: they're not rocking skinny jeans and sipping Starbucks. Probably.

This week, Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, some ISIS mouthpiece, dropped a 30-minute diss track on President al-Sharaa, calling him an 'apostate' and a 'puppet for the West'. Harsh, but fair? Considering Al-Sharaa turned away from traditional values, it may have opened the door to such attacks.

Following the sick burn, ISIS launched a bunch of attacks on government checkpoints. Four security dudes got turned into fertilizer in Raqqa. Baghuz saw some action too. Looks like ISIS heard the call and said, 'Hold my non-alcoholic beverage'.

Some 'analyst' named Bashar Hassan says ISIS is trying to rebrand itself. No more beheadings (maybe?). More... winning hearts and minds? Good luck with that. Remember, these are the guys who thought public executions were a great marketing strategy. Different strokes, I guess.

During their previous reign of terror, ISIS was all about the brutality. Sex slaves, burnings, the whole nine yards. It was metal AF, but also, y'know, evil. Apparently, they've realized that shocking violence isn't the best way to attract followers. Who knew?

Now, they're focusing on winning... hearts and minds? (Double take) The whole world seems to have gone mad. If their new plan is to be less stabby, maybe they could get the attention they were after.

So, yeah, ISIS is back. Apparently, even genocidal maniacs can learn from their mistakes. Or at least hire better PR. The question is, will anyone fall for it this time? Stay tuned, folks. This is gonna be good.

Sources:

* Global Terrorism Database: University of Maryland * Institute for the Study of War: Syria * SITE Intelligence Group: Jihadist Threat Monitoring

Islamic State activity is resurging in northeastern Syria as the group attempts to rebrand and exploit discontent with the current government.