SDF captures 10 ISIS suspects in east Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Friday they captured 10 Islamic State (ISIS) suspects in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province after a deadly attack by the militants.

“Our forces raided the place where the terrorists were hiding, capturing ten ISIS terrorists who were involved in attacks against our forces, civilians, and public infrastructure,” read a statement from the SDF.

The announcement added that they seized a cache of weapons and ammunition during the raid.

The raid took place on Thursday, the same day one member of the SDF was killed and three others were injured in an ISIS attack.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the clash took place in the town of Abu Hamam, around 45 kilometers from the border with Iraq.

ISIS, which was territorially defeated in 2019, has recently sought to regain ground, taking advantage of instability following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The SDF, which is the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava), has fought to prevent the militants from reestablishing a foothold in the shifting security landscape.

SOHR said it has documented 84 operations carried out by ISIS cells in Rojava since the beginning of 2025. These included armed attacks, targeted killings, and bombings.