Kurdish-led forces capture dozens of Islamic State militants in Syria

Fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, July 17, 2020. (Photo: SDF media

Hisham Arafat

DEIR EZZOR, Syria (North Press) – At least 24 Islamic State (ISIS) militants were captured by the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in a large-scale operation in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor near the border with Iraq, SDF said in a statement on Friday.

“Our forces [SDF] in coordination with Global Coalition against ISIS captured 24 terrorists and seized large amounts of weapons, including Kalashnikov machine guns, BKS, pistols, RBG in addition to ammunition in Busayrah and Shuhayl [Shheel] towns in Deir Ezzor,” the statement reads.

Earlier today, the SDF announced the launch of a large-scale operation, dubbed the second phase of “Deterrence of Terrirism,” in Deir Ezzor against ISIS sleeper cells which had been very active in the past few months.

The first phase of “Deterrence of Terrorism” operation was launched last month and lasted for a week, and ended up with the arrest of dozens of ISIS militants.

Earlier this week, dozens of Arab tribal leaders of Deir Ezzor held an urgent meeting with SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi seeking more military support to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells.

The SDF, spearheaded by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and backed by the US-led Global Coalition, was the leading force responsible for ISIS’ fall in Syria, sacrificing over 13,000 fighters in the battles to regain territory from the terror group until the latter’s final loss in al-Baghouz on March 23, 2019.

ISIS sleeper cells have been active in the region since their defeat, but recent events, mainly the US troop withdrawal in January 2019 and subsequent Turkish invasion of the Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad regions in October of the same year, led to a security vacuum which emboldened the group.

Northeastern Syria has witnessed ISIS activity tied to sleeper cells in the region, including a series of attacks which resulted in the death of an SDF fighter on May 17 in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.

A major ISIS prison in Hasakah has also witnessed repeated unrest as ISIS detainees attempted to take control of the prison, though anti-terror security forces associated with the SDF quickly controlled these uprisings.