ISIS fighters detained by the the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remain a persistent threat in Syria. In early September, five ISIS members escaped from Raqqa Central Prison, revealing ISIS cells’ persistent reach inside detention facilities (there are some 20 such facilities administered by the SDF). The group has spent the years since its territorial defeat conducting operations to free some of the more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in the north-east. The prison break in Raqqa precipitated a series of anti-ISIS operations by the SDF and US-led International Coalition also aimed at pushing back against a recent wave of ISIS attacks across north-east Syria. The SDF and regime forces, meanwhile, exchanged several bouts of artillery fire across the month of September, with both sides firing unusually intense artillery barrages across the Euphrates River.
ISIS Activity
Five foreign ISIS members managed to escape from Raqqa Central Prison in early September, triggering a manhunt by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and US-led International Coalition. Two of the escapees were subsequently recaptured. In all, sustained anti-ISIS operations by the SDF and International Coalition have been effective in reversing a rising tide of summertime ISIS attacks—although casualties have remained high relative to the period before this summer’s uptick.
More recently, ISIS cells launched a total of 10 armed ambushes and four IED attacks against SDF troops across Deir Ezzor, Hasakeh and Raqqa, resulting in the deaths of 20 SDF fighters. Among the dead was a commander known as “Hamrin Tabqa,” the head of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in Al-Tabqa city, who was killed when her vehicle was targeted by an explosive device on the outskirts of the city on 6th September.
ISIS continued to terrorize civilian populations in towns across rural Deir Ezzor and Raqqa with regular drive-by shootings. Attacks against shepherds in Raqqa’s Ma’adan desert region also increased, with subsequent killings or theft of the victims’ livestock.
SDF Activity
With backing from the International Coalition, the SDF intensified operations against ISIS cells across Raqqa province, arresting several former and current members of the group. Notably, the arrests saw the capture of Muhammad al-Juja, the ISIS figure chiefly responsible for smuggling ISIS members from Raqqa to other areas in north-east and northern Syria.
Two months since the Self Administration issued Amnesty Law 10/2024, which reduced sentences for many prisoners convicted on a broad range of terrorism charges, authorities have released around 10 long-time detainees who served between four and six-year sentences in Hasakeh’s Al-Kalasa and Alaya prisons.
Forced recruitment remains a major problem. The SDF continues to forcibly recruit young men at checkpoints and through targeted raids of communities across the region. The Revolutionary Youth militia, which has unofficial links to the SDF, has played a role in the abduction and recruitment of children for ideological indoctrination and military training in Hasakeh province.
Humanitarian Developments
Around half a dozen women of Russian and Moroccan nationality fled the Al-Hol camp. Meanwhile, authorities in Al-Hol are preparing new lists of families from Deir Ezzor to be released soon, as well as between 150 and 180 Iraqi families slated for repatriation.
