Security

SDF special forces arrest two ISIS suspects in Hasakah province

“The operation comes under the joint efforts exerted by the SDF and the international coalition to track down and eradicate Daesh (ISIS) cells in the region.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/09/13 23:10

SDF forces in Deir al-Zor. (Photo: SDF's Coordination and Military Operations Center)

Syria ISIS Syria SDF Coalition

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Monday that, backed by the US-led coalition's support, a special forces unit arrested two ISIS suspects in an operation on the outskirts of Hasakah province.

“One of the arrested terrorists leads a dangerous cell in al-Hasakah city and its countryside, which is responsible for assassinations and was planning to target security and military points,” the SDF press office said.

The SDF unit confiscated weapons and equipment in possession of the ISIS suspects.

“The operation comes under the joint efforts exerted by the SDF and the international coalition to track down and eradicate Daesh (ISIS) cells in the region,” the SDF statement concluded.

Although the SDF and the coalition announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria in March 2019, sleeper cell attacks persist in what appears to be a deliberate campaign to destabilize northeastern parts of the nation, primarily in cities, towns, and rural tracts of land once under the terrorist group’s control.

The coalition and the SDF have had success reducing ISIS sleeper cell activity in northeast Syria due to continued operation in the area.

Last week, SDF-backed internal security forces, also known as Asayish, arrested four suspects with alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS) near al-Hol camp.

Coalition spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto told Kurdistan 24 earlier that “the Coalition and our partners share information to find and destroy [ISIS] terrorists and their facilities.”

“We work together to adapt to our shared enemy and we continue to find ways to disrupt their network, resources and funding as well as eliminate their fighters and prevent a resurgence,” he said.

Col. Scott Desormeaux, a Louisiana National Guard commander based in Erbil Air Base who leads US military forces in Iraq and northeastern Syria, told Kurdistan 24 on August 24 that sleeper cell activity including kidnappings, bomb attacks around the Deir al-Zor in the Middle Euphrates River Valley (MERV) are connected to ISIS.

“I think that they (ISIS) are still struggling to be relevant and so the very fact they continue to do that justifies the continued pressure and partnership we have in both Syria as well as here (in Iraq) to help them continue to prevent that.”