SDF detain four ISIS operatives in Raqqa
The coalition on Monday said that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) detained four members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the terror group’s former capital of Raqqa earlier this month in operations supported by the US-led force.
The operations were “advised, assisted, and enabled by Coalition forces” and managed to arrest the four suspects “while conducting searches for weapons, explosives and other illicit items, with the focus on disrupting and dismantling ISIS networks,” according to a statement by the Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force – Levant (SOJTF-Levant).
The SDF has recently carried out several raids against ISIS in Syria, arresting many suspects as the partnership between the Kurdish-led force and the coalition remains strong.
“Coalition Forces continue to see successful results with SDF-led operations in ar-Raqqah province,” SOJTF-Levant Commander US Air Force Brigadier Claude Tudor said. “We continue to advise, assist, and enable our SDF partners by reviewing key infrastructure requirements that will play a critical role in the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
On Monday, the coalition said that ISIS activities in Syria have seen a 55 percent decrease since the beginning of the year while praising the SDF for their effectiveness in the fight against ISIS.
ISIS rose to power across swathes of Syria in 2014 but it was territorially defeated five years later. Despite the group being devoid of any territorial control, it continues to pose security risks through kidnappings, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings in the war-torn country.
SDF on Wednesday announced the arrest of a former ISIS leader near Deir ez-Zor, accusing him of transporting ammunition and money to the active cells of the group.
US Central Command said last Monday that its forces killed an ISIS senior leader, Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali who was an “operational planner responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe.” Two ISIS operatives were also killed in the operation which took place in northern Syria.
Source » rudaw
