ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Friday that they were engaged in clashes with Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, backed by United States air support.
“Our forces, with air support from the global coalition forces, are dealing with movements of ISIS terrorist cells that attempted to infiltrate from the western bank to the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where they inflicted casualties among the terrorist elements,” the SDF said on X, referring to areas around the Euphrates River.
ISIS, which was territorially defeated in 2019, has recently sought to gain ground, taking advantage of the situation after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The SDF, which controls northeast Syria (Rojava), have fought to prevent the militants from reestablishing their presence in the evolving security landscape.
The SDF said in January that they carried out nearly 100 operations against ISIS in 2024, capturing more than 270 suspects and eliminating several of its high-ranking leaders.
While the SDF is battling the ISIS threat in the east, in the north they are fending off an offensive by Turkey and its allied militias, warning that the Turkish assault is undermining its ability to combat ISIS.
In coastal areas of western Syria, Damascus-affiliated security personnel have clashed with armed men loyal to ousted president Assad, leaving dozens dead. There have also been recent clashes in the south and Israel has threatened an invasion to defend Druze communities.
