“At 12:10 AM on Saturday, one of our SDF patrols was attacked on Abu Khashab road, west of Deir ez-Zor, resulting in injuring three of our fighters,” read the SDF statement. “One of our senior commanders, who plays a crucial role in the ongoing battle against ISIS in the area, managed to survive.”
“Initial investigations have confirmed the involvement of an ISIS terrorist cell,” the SDF added.
Since its territorial defeat in 2019, ISIS has been involved in kidnapping, ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings in both Iraq and Syria, posing a serious threat to the security of the region.
The SDF has recently carried out several successful raids on ISIS cells, with the help of the United States-led global coalition against ISIS in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Earlier this month, SDF with the coalition aerial support, arrested two ISIS operatives accused of smuggling weapons into al-Hol camp, which houses thousands of ISIS supporters and family members of suspected ISIS fighters.
The Pentagon, in its latest quarterly report covering anti-ISIS operations from October through December 2022, estimated there are 6,000 to 10,000 ISIS fighters spread across Syria and Iraq.
