SDF details joint raid campaign with Coalition in Deir Ezzor

TOL special operations units affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in coordination with the International Coalition to fight the Islamic State group, carried out a security operation in the countryside of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) on 7 December.

In a statement published on its official platforms on Tuesday, 9 December, the SDF said the operation resulted in the arrest of the Islamic State group’s “military emir”, codenamed “Abu Zubair/Sammak”, along with two members of his cell.

At the time, Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Deir Ezzor reported that the operation took place in the town of Hawaij Boumsa’a in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), where the SDF, backed by the International Coalition, carried out a raid campaign in the town that included the arrest of several residents.

The correspondent said the detainees were Osama Ahmad al Khalaf, Saher Ahmad al Khalaf, Ibrahim al Saleh al Muhaymid, and Ibrahim al Abd al Ahmad, stressing that they are civilians with no affiliation to any party or to the Islamic State group, contrary to what the SDF claimed in its statement.

For its part, the SDF said the operation came after close monitoring of the group’s movements, which it described as “one of the most dangerous Islamic State networks”, responsible for most “terrorist” attacks against SDF forces over recent months.

It said that weapons, ammunition, and ready-to-use explosives were seized during the raid, “foiling a plot that was about to be executed.”

According to the SDF, evidence seized from the detainee and his cell, including phones and video footage, proves their direct involvement in planning, carrying out, and overseeing attacks, with recordings documenting the issuing of orders, the movement of cell members, and their management of reconnaissance and surveillance operations.

The SDF added that investigations showed the “emir” had been overseeing smuggling operations and communications between Islamic State “sleeper cells” inside the area and inside al Hawl camp (in al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria), and supervising the recruitment and training of children from Islamic State families under the so called “Cubs of the Caliphate” label to prepare them for future combat roles.

The SDF said available indicators point to the cell receiving external support aimed at reactivating Islamic State cells, destabilizing security, and intensifying attacks.

Families of detainees dispute the account

One resident of Hawaij Boumsa’a, a relative of one of the detainees, said that the SDF arrested four young men during a raid it carried out around midnight on Sunday, 7 December, with International Coalition aircraft also taking part. The operation lasted about three hours and was followed by an SDF announcement that weapons, shells, and an explosive belt had been found in the targeted house.

He rejected that account as untrue, insisting that SDF members “planted the weapons inside the house before Coalition forces arrived” to convince them there was Islamic State activity in the area.

The relative, who asked not to be named, said the four young men are:

Osama al Ahmad al Khalaf: A reporter with Ronahi TV, which is close to the SDF, for the past six months. He suffers from heart problems and has had four stents inserted. He does not carry a weapon and has no link to any armed activity.
Saher al Ahmad al Khalaf: Osama’s brother and a barber who works in a salon owned by his brother. He does not belong to any military group and is known locally as “Abu Osama”.
Ibrahim al Saleh al Muhaymid: A young man who trades in mobile phones on a “by order and delivery” basis. Relatives say he does not even know how to use weapons.
Ibrahim al Abd al Ahmad: A civilian employee in the agriculture sector under SDF institutions, and the only surviving son of his parents after his brother’s death. His family says he does not engage in any military activity.

The SDF said the operation dealt a painful blow to the group’s structure in Deir Ezzor and comes as part of ongoing efforts to prevent the Islamic State group from reorganizing its ranks or threatening security in the area.

It stressed that taking down the “military emir and his cell” is “an important achievement” that limits the group’s capabilities and confirms the SDF’s commitment to continuing to pursue all cells, in coordination with the International Coalition, until the region is cleared of terrorism and the security and stability of Deir Ezzor and the wider northeast are ensured.

Previous operation

The International Coalition, backed by the SDF, also conducted an airdrop operation in the town of Marrat in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) on 26 November.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Deir Ezzor reported at the time that the airdrop, carried out by the Coalition in cooperation with the SDF, targeted the home of former Free Syrian Army commander Hatem al Bou Saud, as well as the home of Sadiq al Aziz, who is also a former Free Syrian Army member.

The operation led to the arrest of Sadiq al Aziz and another person who was with him, while former commander Hatem al Bou Saud managed to flee.

According to the correspondent, the operation was preceded by a house-to-house search campaign of nearby homes conducted by SDF forces, which lasted about four hours and involved four Apache helicopters.

The house searches were accompanied by heavy overflights of warplanes and drones over Marrat, which is under SDF control, the correspondent added.