The operation in Hasaka province began early Friday, the SDF revealed in a statement on Monday. The joint forces targeted an ISIS cell in the town of Safian near Al-Shaddadi city in a coordinated effort to dismantle a cell “involved in committing several terrorist acts in the region.” The SDF also reported seizing weapons from the extremists.
According to the SDF, they captured two militants identified as “Issa Muhammad Has’has” (aka Abu Hamza) and “Abdullah Muhammad Hashas” (aka Abu Omer).
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based conflict monitor, reported on Monday that since the start of August the SDF and coalition have conducted six “intensive security operations” resulting in the arrests of eight members of ISIS cells and the killing of three others in the provinces of Hasaka, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor.
The goal of the joint operations, according to SOHR, was to eliminate the ongoing threats posed by ISIS cells to civilians and business people in northeast Syria.
ISIS cells, the Observatory reported, “have significantly escalated their attacks after clashes between local militants backed by Iran,” which have included “ambushes bombings and assassinations.”
The UK-based monitor also reported on Monday that the coalition and SDF conducted a “joint military patrol” consisting of 12 armored vehicles in Hasaka.
The joint patrol toured “military sites” and monitored force movements along a strip of the country’s border with Turkey, according to SOHR.
The SDF with the support of the coalition recently has been more active around Deir ez-Zor. The joint patrols have marked a significant concerted effort between the SDF and coalition to target ISIS cells throughout northern and eastern Syria.
ISIS rose to power in 2014, seizing large territories in Iraq and Syria and declaring a so-called “caliphate.” While the group was territorially defeated in 2019, it has continued to pose significant security threats through attacks in both Syria and Iraq.
The Kurdish-led and US-backed SDF, who control northeast Syria (Rojava), played a key role in defeating ISIS, capturing thousands of fighters and their families when the group's last stronghold fell in 2019. The SDF operates alongside hundreds of US troops as part of the international coalition against ISIS.
