A decade ago, the self-proclaimed Islamic State group held vast swaths of territory across Iraq and Syria, but President Trump declared it destroyed in 2019.

ISIS attacks over the past week in Australia and Syria have led some to wonder whether the Islamist terrorist organization, once also known as the Islamic State, is making a comeback. “Actually,” says Bruce Hoffman, “it never went away.”

ISIS is too weakened to seize territory, experts said, but its ability to churn out propaganda aimed at provoking violence against the West persists.

ISIS gunman kills two Iowa National Guard members in Syria terrorist attack. Community mourns loss of Nate Howard and fellow soldier in tragic incident.

The attack, which took place in the city of Palmyra, comes a year after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the lifting of U.S. sanctions.