A U.S. citizen and former Brooklyn resident has been convicted by a federal jury of receiving military-type training from the ISIS terrorist group in Syria.
Halima Salman received training from the Nusaybah Katiba, a military battalion composed of female ISIS members, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in an Oct. 27 statement. Salman was convicted on Tuesday by a federal jury in Brooklyn following a seven-day trial.
In 2016, Salman’s parents traveled with her and eight of her siblings from the United States to a Syrian territory under the control of ISIS. In 2017, Salman, 18 years old at the time, married an ISIS fighter in Syria, after which she sought out military-type training, the DOJ said.
ISIS granted Salman a document certifying the completion of her training. Authorities discovered the document, together with an image of Salman with an ISIS flag as background and a video showing her with an AK-47 rifle, on her husband’s cellphone.
Salman was arrested in 2019 in Baghouz, Syria, according to a filing made with the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. She and her family were repatriated to the United States in May 2024, and she was charged with violating Title 18 of U.S. Code Section 2339D, which penalizes people who receive military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization. ISIS was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in 2004.
“The atrocities committed by ISIS, including mass executions, sexual slavery, and the systematic terrorizing of civilian populations, represent some of the gravest crimes of our time,” John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s National Security Division, said in the statement.
“There is simply no excuse for aligning with or receiving military training from an organization responsible for such suffering,” he added. “Today’s verdict sends a clear message that those who support this death cult will be found and prosecuted.”
ISIS once covered significant regions across Iraq and Syria. The terror group’s power began to reduce with the advent of U.S.-led strikes in the group’s territories in 2014, and by December 2017, ISIS had lost around 95 percent of its territory, according to think tank Wilson Center. In 2018, President Donald Trump declared ISIS defeated.
People inspired by ISIS continue to pose a threat to U.S. security. On Oct. 7, the DOJ announced that an 18-year-old was charged for his alleged role in an ISIS plot to carry out a mass shooting event at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The individual allegedly bought an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition to carry out the attack.
Tackling ISIS
According to the 2026 annual threat assessment report from the U.S. intelligence community published in March, terror outfits ISIS and Al-Qaeda have focused on online recruitment of Americans for planning attacks against the United States.
“While al-Qa‘ida and ISIS maintain the intent to launch operations targeting the U.S., the most likely terrorist attack scenario in the Homeland involves U.S.-based lone offenders,” the report said.
“These individuals take inspiration from foreign terrorist ideologies and propaganda that often exploit world events such as the Gaza conflict to fuel radicalization and mobilization. Al-Qa‘ida and ISIS release media encouraging U.S.-based supporters to conduct attacks and often offer tactical guidance.”
The United States has continued to target ISIS both financially and militarily. For instance, in a June 22 statement, the Department of the Treasury said that it had sanctioned six entities and three individuals across the Middle East, West Africa, and Europe for enabling financial transactions for ISIS.
In a June 24 statement, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces carried out an airstrike in Syria that led to the death of a senior leader in ISIS.
According to CENTCOM, the strike is part of U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists who seek to attack U.S. citizens in America or abroad.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the statement. “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”
