SDF’s Commander Abdi meets with US General to discuss anti-ISIS operations

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi on Sunday held a meeting with US Maj. Gen. Eric Hill, who commands Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (SOJTF-OIR), to discuss the fight against the so-called Islamic State.

"Maj. Gen. Hill met with Gen. Mazloum to discuss the increased partnered operations against Daesh's failed attempts to use terrorism during Ramadan and the COVID-19 pandemic to wrongly rebuild," said SOJTF-OIR in a statement.

Despite the fall of the terror group's so-called caliphate in March 2019 after losing the last sliver of Syrian territory they held to the SDF and the US-led International Coalition, sleeper cells continue to launch attacks in areas the Kurdish-led forces have liberated.

Syrian Democratic Forces over the years fought bravely and defeated the physical caliphate, but Daesh remnants and sleeper cells still exist. @SOJTFOIR continues to partner with #SDF to pursue Daesh and provide security and stability to the region. #DefeatDaesh #LifeAfterDaesh pic.twitter.com/wnmEkfzS1E

— Special Ops Joint Task Force-OIR (Iraq/Syria) (@SOJTFOIR) May 24, 2020

A recent Pentagon Inspector General (IG) report covering the first quarter of 2020 (Jan. 1-Mar. 31) confirmed that the Islamic State continues to wage a low-level insurgency in both Iraq and Syria. The suspected terrorist activities "mainly targeted governing officials and security forces in Raqqah, Hasakah, and [Deir al-Zor]  provinces."

The SOJTF-OIR statement noted that the SDF "over the years fought bravely and defeated the physical caliphate, but Daesh remnants and sleeper cells still exist." It added that the US-led Coalition continues to partner with the SDF to pursue Islamic State remnants "and provide security and stability to the region."

On Wednesday, the SDF announced they had carried out several anti-terror operations between May 11 and 17 in Deir al-Zor, killing and capturing a number of Islamic State fighters.

Supported by the Coalition, another SDF raid on May killed two senior Islamic State leaders—Ahmad' Isa Ismail al-Zawi and Ahmad' Abd Muhammad Hasan al-Jughayfi.

In addition to joint SDF-Coalition operations against the Islamic State, Maj. Gen. Hill and Gen. Abdi also discussed a strategy "for continued humane detention of the 10K Daesh detainees in SDF-run facilities across northeast Syria and how to garner support [to] solve this international problem in the long term."

SDF holds over 14,000 captured suspected Islamic State fighters, including 2,000 foreign nationals, according to recent estimates by local authorities. Most of these detainees live in large groups inside the facilities run by the SDF.

So far, most European countries have refused to take back their nationals.

In the last few months, there have been three attempted prison breaks by Islamic State prisoners. Two took place in the city of Hasakah on March 29 and May 2 and one in Tabqa on May 22.

Earlier in the month, the SDF called on the Coalition and International Community to provide more support and aid improving conditions inside the facilities, amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

Following this, the Coalition provided some $1.2 million worth of supplies to prevent a potential outbreak of the virus as well as riot gear for prison guards. On May 21, the SOJTF-OIR Twitter page published pictures showing SDF "train with various riot control agents to deter prison riots at the Malabia Training Center, Syria on May 16."

The SOJTF-OIR statement on Commander Abdi's meeting with Maj. Gen. Hill concluded with, "SOJTF-OIR and our partners are committed to strengthening relationships across northeast Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh and enable the stability, security and well-being of the region for its people."

Nicholas A. Heras, Middle East Portfolio Manager at the Institute for the Study of War, told Kurdistan 24 the visit shows that the SDF has "effective vetting procedure for its security branches that protect its officers and senior, high-ranking guests such as General Hill."

"Further, the SDF has a proven track record of effectively protecting senior Coalition personnel," Heras added, noting that "SDF counter-intelligence and counter-terror forces are closely mentored by the US."

Heras underlined that the Coalition has successfully "nurtured the SDF into a non-state actor partner force with unprecedented capabilities."

"SDF fighters were trained as JTACs [Joint Terminal Attack Controllers] to call-in Coalition airstrikes and SDF counter-terror forces conduct joint raids in direct action with high-end Coalition operatives. The trust the Coalition places in the SDF is rare for a non-state actor partner."

Editing by Khrush Najari