Syria’s Kurdish-led alliance sweeps Deir ez-Zor for Islamic State sleeper cells
A Syrian Democratic Forces operation dubbed "Deterring Terrorism" nets 17 Islamic State suspects in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province.
Northeast Syria’s Kurdish-led forces said they have arrested 17 Islamic State suspects in a sweeping counterterror operation launched Thursday in the country’s east.
The operation, dubbed “Deterring Terrorism,” is one of the largest the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have undertaken since capturing the final holdout of the Islamic State (IS) near the Iraq border in March 2019, according to the SDF.
The sweep comes in response to increased attacks by suspected IS sleeper cells in the majority-Arab Deir ez-Zor province — a problem that the US military has said undermines locals’ faith in the Kurdish-led administration.
SDF media official Marvan Qamishlo told Al-Monitor by phone that the manhunt spans from southern Hasakah province into Deir ez-Zor, and is expected to conclude next week in Syria’s eastern border area with Iraq, but may be extended. Qamishlo, who was present during the operation, told Al-Monitor that SDF forces had arrested 17 suspected IS affiliates as of this evening.
