SDF arrests four suspected ISIS members in Raqqa

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday that they arrested four suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa during a joint operation with the US-led global coalition against ISIS.

In a statement, the SDF said that, in coordination with the Military Operations Teams (TOL) and the US-led global coalition, they “carried out a precise security operation in the city of Raqqa, resulting in the arrest of four members of the terrorist organization ISIS.”

The SDF, the de facto military force in northeast Syria (Rojava), was the coalition’s sole on-the-ground partner against ISIS in Syria until the Syrian government joined the military alliance in November. The TOL is an SDF-affiliated unit specializing in counterterrorism raids and special operations.
 
According to the statement, SDF forces “raided the cell’s location without any casualties among civilians or the participating forces.” Weapons and communication equipment “used to support terrorist activities” were seized during the operation, it added.

The SDF said that during initial interrogations, the detainees confessed to gathering intelligence on the locations and positions of SDF forces, planning attacks, and “maintaining contact with ISIS leadership and supplying them with information.”

The announcement came days after the SDF said it arrested several ISIS members on Thursday, including an individual involved in bomb-making and multiple attacks, in another joint operation with the US-led global coalition.

On Wednesday, the SDF said it had carried out 163 security and military operations against ISIS cells in 2025, arresting or killing dozens of militants, including three leaders.

Those operations led to the dismantling of logistical networks, the destruction of hideouts, and the seizure of weapons and improvised explosive devices before they could be used to target civilians and public institutions, according to the statement.
 
ISIS seized large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 but was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, two years after its defeat in Iraq. Despite those losses, the group has continued to carry out insurgent attacks and attempts to reestablish its presence.