We’ll completely eradicate ISIS, rid world of this curse, SDF
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday evening, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to cordon off al-Sina’a prison, which houses thousands of ISIS detainees, with the aim of regaining control over it, in tandem with a combing campaign in Guweiran neighborhood in Syria’s Hasakah, surrounding the prison in search of three ISIS sleeper cells members who carried out an attack three days ago.
A statement by the SDF General Command reiterated its insistence “to eliminate the remnants of the terrorist organization, and we will completely eradicate it, and rid the world of this evil. This is our decision, and our response to the ISIS attack will be accordingly.”
“A small number of detainees managed to reach the adjacent building of the Faculty of Economics, but our forces were able to completely control the surrounding of the prison,” the statement said.
“The fiercest clashes took place with ISIS sleeper cells, that launched the attack from outside of the prison, in the eastern neighborhoods of Guweiran and al-Zohour plus the Panorama Square, and most of the attacking mercenaries were killed,” it added.
However, ISIS detainees in the prison attacked the workers of the prison including medical staff and food preparation workers, as well as guards, and the fate of these workers is still unknown.
While combing the region, the SDF members took control of “some of the hidden tunnels that the mercenaries used to move around. Our forces also seized a quantity of heavy weapons, including DShK weapons.”
Based on the confessions of ISIS members it arrested, the SDF statement revealed that “at least 200 attackers suicide terrorists participated in the attack, some of them came from the areas of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad, which are run by Turkey and the affiliated opposition factions, as well as militants from Iraq, and took Guweiran as a center and a starting point for them.”
According to the statement the preparations for the attack had taken six months before being carried out on January 20 by suicide bombers and car bombs.
The SDF General Command announced the killing of more than 75 ISIS militants, including 15 detainees who tried to escape during the attack and the clashes.
“27 of the SDF fighters fell martyred heroically during the three days. Those martyrs were among ten thousand members of the SDF and the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) who participated in repelling the attack and the subsequent combing and encirclement operations,” the SDF General Command added.
The statement praised the solidarity and cooperation of the local population in Guweiran neighborhood and Hasakah in general. It also praised the role of the formation of the “Community Protection Forces” (forces formed by civilians), and the support of the Global Coalition, whose role was “great effectiveness” according the SDF statement.
The statement considered that Turkey’s intensification of its attacks on the areas of Ain Issa, Tel Tamr and Abu Rasin “is not a coincidence”, especially after the confessions of some of those arrested who came from the areas controlled by Turkey and participated in the attack.
The confessions revealed the presence of leaders of ISIS sleeper cells in the areas controlled by Turkey, it said.