Syria
Suspects arrested in joint anti-ISIS operation by SDF and the global coalition in northern Syria on December 24, 2025. Photo: SDF
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Friday that they had arrested four people in a joint operation with the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State group in the northern province of Raqqa earlier in the week.
The operation targeted ISIS cells in the Raqqa countryside and came as a result of “precise and well-coordinated” efforts between the SDF and the global coalition following the collection of “reliable information and evidence about the activities of the terrorist cell,” said the SDF in a statement.
“The forces succeeded in arresting two members of the organization, the terrorists - Abdul Jabbar al-Ubaid al-Suwadi and Mahdi Shannan al-Abdullah - in addition to two other individuals - Abdul al-Ilah al-Suwadi and Mohammed al-Abd al-Ziyad - who were cooperating with the cell and working to provide it with information about the movements of our forces and their military positions,” added the statement.
The arrested individuals allegedly confessed to belonging to ISIS and involvement in terrorist activities in the area. “They also admitted to being involved in targeting military points belonging to our forces and attempting to carry out individual assassination operations.”
Although ISIS was declared territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, the group has continued to exploit the instability that followed the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Since then, Deir ez-Zor has become a key hotspot for ISIS activities.
A day before the latest operation, the SDF announced the killing of four ISIS members and the capture of five others in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.
The SDF serves as the de facto military force in northeast Syria (Rojava) and remains the main on-the-ground partner of the anti-ISIS coalition in northeast Syria. Damascus joined the coalition last month.
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