ISIS sleeper cell kills Syriac Christian fighter in Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Syriac Military Council (MFS) has announced that one of their fighters was killed in an Islamic State ambush in the village of Sahba in Deir al-Zor, east Syria.

The military council has defended Syriac Christians against the threat of the so-called Islamic State as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“On August 20, 2019, one of our military vehicles in Deir al-Zor province was ambushed by the terrorist organization’s cells as it was going to perform its duty near the town of Sabha,” the General Leadership of the Syriac Military Council explained.

As a result, one of their fighters, Mahmoud Eidan al-Salih, was killed and other fighters were seriously injured.

Despite the SDF and the US-led coalition announcing the defeat of the extremist group’s so-called caliphate on March 23, Islamic State sleeper cell attacks persist in Arab-majority areas that were liberated. 

According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the Islamic State has activated insurgency cells in areas controlled by the SDF and “used these cells to conduct attacks in northeastern Syria and other areas of the MERV [Middle Euphrates River Valley]”, a recent Pentagon Watchdog report said.

It also said the Islamic State carried out attacks mainly in Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir al-Zor provinces

Civilians were recently also killed in attacks in Hasakah and Qamislo.

Aram Hanna, a member of the MFS General Command, said he hopes the US-led coalition protects the east of the Euphrates, where Islamic State sleeper cells still pose a threat.

Recently, the SDF’s anti-terror forces have conducted several operations against sleeper cells, seizing a large number of weapons and explosives.

Raqqa’s internal security forces on Thursday announced they dismantled a large Islamic State sleeper cell ring in the city.

They announced the arrest of men and women working within the jihadist organization, and seized weapons, silencers, explosive devices and Islamic State books.

“It is noteworthy that this cell is one of the largest sleeper cells that has been able to arrest them,” with some recently having recently “operated in the city of Raqqa,” the security forces noted. 

Editing by Nadia Riva