Politics

Kurdish-led security forces capture ISIS leader in Syria’s Deir al-Zor

The suspect was "planning assassinations," recruiting members, and facilitating terrorist activities, the Kurdish-led SDF said.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/05/03 20:00

Special Anti-Terror Forces (HAT) linked to Asayish. (Photo: SDF’s Coordination and Military Operations Centre)

Syria Syria ISIS SDF

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Monday counterterrorism units had captured a high-ranking ISIS leader Syria’s in Deir al-Zor province.

An important leader of #Daesh has been detained, he was active in planning for assassinations, recruiting, and facilitating cells activities, in an operation for #ISF (Asayish), in #Al_Shafaa area in #Deir_Ezzor eastern countryside, #Int_Coalition also supplied air surveillance. pic.twitter.com/6mckyhVCbv
— Coordination & Military Ops Center - SDF (@cmoc_sdf) May 3, 2021

The SDF’s Coordination and Military Operations Center on Twitter claimed that the detainee was actively planning assassinations, recruiting members, and facilitating ISIS sleeper cell operations in Deir al-Zor.

The SDF noted that the Internal Security Forces of northeast Syria, commonly known as Asayish, led the operation, carried out in al-Shafaa in Deir al-Zor’s eastern countryside with air support from the US-led anti-ISIS Coalition.

Col. Wayne Marotto, the Spokesman for the Coalition, also known as the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), said in a tweet on Monday said that the operations conducted by SDF aim to “degrade [ISIS's] capabilities and lead to their enduring defeat.”

.@cmoc_sdf reports #Asayish captured a #Daesh leader in charge of planning assassinations and facilitating other cell activities in al-Shafaa, with ISR provided by @Coalition. Operations conducted by #SDF aim to degrade Daesh capabilities and lead to their enduring defeat.
— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) May 3, 2021

Although the SDF and the Coalition announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria in March 2019, sleeper cell attacks persist, especially in liberated territories, in what appears to be a deliberate campaign to destabilize the area.

According to the latest report by the Syria-based Rojava Information Center, ISIS carried out 40 attacks in northeast Syria in March. The majority of these attacks were carried out in Deir al-Zor, where the SDF and local administration officials have been especially targeted by ISIS insurgent attacks.

SDF-linked forces with the support of the US-led Coalition have carried out several arrest campaigns in Deir al-Zor and other areas under their control to stop ISIS attacks. But so far, instability has continued in the area.

Editing by Khrush Najari