ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday said it captured a leader of an Islamic State (ISIS) cell in eastern Deir ez-Zor province after clashes with the group. “Our SDF’s Hajin Military Council captured a leader of an ISIS terrorist cell in the town of Darnach, Deir ez-Zor’s eastern countryside, following a clash that resulted in his injury and capture,” the force said in a statement. The SDF added that ISIS cells attempted to attack a security checkpoint in Abriha town using motorcycles and a machine gun. “Our fighters confronted the attackers and successfully repelled the attack, injuring one terrorist and forcing the others to withdraw. Following the incident, a combing operation was launched to ensure security and stability in the area,” the statement read. On Thursday, the SDF said it repelled another ISIS attack in eastern Syria but lost five fighters in the clashes. The incidents come amid a surge in ISIS activity in eastern Syria. The SDF said mid-September that ISIS has carried out more than 153 attacks in northeast Syria (Rojava) since December. The extremist group, whose so-called caliphate was dismantled in Syria by the SDF in 2019 with the help of the US-led global coalition against ISIS, remains a threat and has exploited a security vacuum, especially in areas separating Rojava from Damascus-held territories, since the interim government came to power in December. The SDF, the de facto military force in Rojava and a key partner of the coalition, has launched numerous operations this year to counter what it calls a resurgence of ISIS activity targeting both its forces and civilians.
