SDF releases statement on end of anti-ISIS operation in Raqqa
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Thursday the end of its sweeping operation against Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells in Raqqa city and its countryside, in northern Syria. It also revealed the outcomes of the campaign.
Operation ‘Retaliation for Raqqa Martyrs’ was launched by the SDF and Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish), backed by the forces of the US-led Global Coalition, following an ISIS attack on an Asayish security center in Raqqa on December 26, 2022, which killed six SDF and Asayish fighters.
The SDF said in a statement, the operation “targeted dozens of potential points and hideouts in Raqqa and its countryside… [and] resulted in immediate and effective results against the ISIS plans and movements in the region.”
During the campaign, the forces captured 127 suspected ISIS affiliates, including “Atallah al-Methan, the Wali [governor] of the so-called Wilayah Raqqa, who was appointed by ISIS to manage the affairs of the so-called Wilayah [province]” of Raqqa.
The SDF also said it dismantled a “4-terrorist cell involved in planning and providing logistical support, preparing the explosives, and hiding and smuggling the injured terrorists who attacked the [Asayish] center.”
“Many weapons, ammunition, and booklets on ISIS extremist ideology were also seized, in addition to uncovering old tunnels used by ISIS terrorists when they were controlling Raqqa city,” the statement added.
Moreover, the SDF was able to destroy channels of communication used by the operatives, root out their potential hideouts, in addition to “drying up the enabling environment, primarily the facilitators and recruitment networks.”
The SDF extended its gratitude to all parties who participated in the operation, including the tribal leaders of the region.