SDF carries out 75 anti-ISIS operations since December – Spokesman
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander said on Monday that the force has conducted 75 operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) in coordination with the U.S.-led Global Coalition since December 2024.
Mahmoud Habib, spokesman for the North Democratic Brigade operating under the SDF umbrella, told North Press that SDF units have engaged in extensive intelligence efforts across Syrian territories to track ISIS sleeper cells.
This intelligence work was supported by aerial surveillance from Coalition aircraft and ongoing information exchange between the two sides, Habib added.
Habib highlighted that 2024 has been the deadliest year so far in terms of ISIS operations, according to reports and field statistics.
He explained that ISIS militants have shifted their presence to remote and rugged desert areas stretching across the Syrian Badia and into Iraq.
The SDF commander indicated that the group’s primary targets remain the main roads connecting cities and towns, where they set up ambushes or launch quick strikes before retreating to the desert.
He noted that ISIS exploited the security vacuum left by the haphazard withdrawal of Syrian regime forces, who abandoned weapons and military equipment without securing them. This allowed ISIS fighters to seize arms and munitions.
Key areas where ISIS has capitalized on this situation include the southern outskirts of Abu Kamal near the Iraqi border, westward toward the southern countryside of Raqqa and the east of Aleppo, and southward toward Palmyra and the Syrian Badia, covering military airports like al-Seen and T4 near Homs.
Habib added that these regions previously hosted hundreds of military sites, some of which fell under ISIS control.
In response, SDF forces have extended their security coverage to the east of Aleppo, south of Raqqa, and the entire Deir ez-Zor Governorate to prevent further ISIS seizures of weapons, particularly heavy arms like armored vehicles and artillery.
The North Democratic Brigade spokesperson also mentioned some coordination with regime military units from Damascus and Aleppo to stabilize the region, safeguard civilians, and secure key military sites, including Deir ez-Zor Military Airport and Menagh Airbase in Aleppo northern countryside.
Meanwhile, U.S. military officials and Pentagon sources affirm that Coalition forces in northern Syria remain focused on defeating ISIS and supporting detention facilities housing ISIS members, until the group’s final defeat.