ALL UZBEK EYES ON TELEGRAM
Early last month, Uzbekistan's Supreme Court issued an updated list of restricted online religious materials. The new ordinance prohibits the import, distribution, or public display of some 1,600 digital sources, with social media app Telegram hosting nearly half of all flagged channels and pages. The focus on Telegram is logical; according to official statistics, roughly three-quarters of the country's population of 38 million use the app, making it a key channel for communication and information distribution. Officials in the Central Asian state worry that the platform provides an ideal means for the spread of extremist content and ideas, and as a result have increasingly emphasized oversight of online content as part of their counterterrorism strategy. (The Diplomat, January 20, 2026)
SHIFTING SYRIA POLICY...
In what amounts to a significant shift in U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Trump administration's special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, has indicated that Washington no longer views the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as its main partner for combating the Islamic State. "Today, the situation has fundamentally changed," Barrack wrote in a social media post. "The original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps."
The comments reflect warming ties between Washington and Damascus, as the Trump administration continues to draw closer to the new regime of Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa. Another potential factor, notes the New York Times, was a miscalculation by the SDF itself, which analysts say may have overestimated its leverage with the current White House. (New York Times, January 20, 2026)
...PUTS CENTCOM ON GUARD...
For their part, Syrian security forces have wasted no time expanding their ambit. Government forces have taken control of vast areas in the country's northeast previously held by the SDF, raising concerns about thousands of Islamic State detainees who have been under Kurdish guard in recent years. Indeed, Syria's Interior Ministry announced on January 19th that an estimated 120 prisoners had escaped from al-Shaddadi Prison – a facility formerly controlled by the SDF. That figure, however, could be a gross under-estimation. According to Kurdish news outlet Rudaw, SDF estimates of the escapees are much, much higher: some 1,200 in all.
The U.S. armed forces are moving quickly to mitigate the potential damage. On January 21st, U.S. Central Command announced a transfer operation to relocate 150 ISIS prisoners from Hasakah to a "secure location" in Iraq. CENTCOM officials likewise shared that a subsequent operation could transfer an estimated 7,000 more ISIS prisoners to Iraq. According to a statement from the Iraqi military, the nation has taken custody of "terrorists of Iraqi nationality and other nationalities who were held in prisons previously under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces." (South China Morning Post, January 19, 2026; CNN, January 20, 2026)
...AND THE SDF ON THE BACK FOOT
Tensions are now running high between the SDF and the Syrian government, which expects the previously-autonomous forces to integrate into the national military. A comprehensive deal was struck between the SDF and Syrian authorities in late January, but fractured almost immediately.
In response to a resurgence of fighting, the SDF has encouraged "all of our youth" to "join the ranks of the resistance" via a public statement. "Just as our comrades in 2014 forged a historic resistance in Kobani and turned it into a graveyard for [ISIS]... today we affirm with the same resolve that we will turn our cities... into a graveyard for the new [ISIS]-minded people who are directed by Turkey," the Kurdish militia warned. (South China Morning Post, January 19, 2026)