ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Saturday they arrested 51 Islamic State (ISIS) suspects in an extensive operation amid fears of a resurgence of the jihadist group.
“After approximately 14 hours of continuous effort involving more than 3,000 fighters, our forces achieved all their objectives. A total of 51 terrorists were captured, including individuals directly involved in attacks on civilians, as well as on security and service institutions,” the SDF said in a statement.
“Dangerous terrorist networks were dismantled, including cells that had been plotting attacks on Al-Sina’a Prison and Al-Hol Camp. The campaign has neutralized the immediate threat to civilians and regional stability,” it added, referring to facilities in Hasaka holding ISIS-affiliated people.
A significant number of weapons were also confiscated.
Al-Sina’a prison, known locally as Ghweran, is a large complex that houses ISIS militants. An attempted prison break at the facility in January 2022 left at least 322 people dead after the SDF laid a week-long siege to thwart the escape.
Al-Hol camp is infamous for its squalid conditions and has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism. Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the nearly 28,000 held in the camp that also houses people who traveled from around the world to join ISIS.
The latest SDF operation comes amid a resurgence of ISIS activities in Syria where the jihadists have sought to take advantage of instability following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
ISIS rose to power in 2014, seizing large areas of Iraq and Syria and declaring a so-called “caliphate.” The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Despite its territorial losses, ISIS continues to pose a security threat, particularly in Syria’s vast eastern desert.
