SDF arrest four ISIS operatives in Raqqa: Coalition

The U.S. Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force – Levant (SOJTF LEVANT) on Monday said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested four ISIS operatives in Raqqa on April 14 and 15.

“SDF, advised, assisted, and enabled by Coalition Forces, planned and achieved the successful capture of Hasan Husain Muhammed Al Ali, Hasan Harald Ali Hajju, Omar Ibrahim Omar Al Sulaiman, and Muhamad Al Ali, who are assessed ISIS operatives while conducting searches for weapons, explosives, and other illicit items, with the focus on disrupting and dismantling ISIS networks,” the SOJTF LEVANT said in a press release.

“Coalition Forces continue to see successful results with SDF-led operations in ar-Raqqah province,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Claude Tudor, Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force – Levant Commander.

“We continue to advise, assist, and enable our SDF partners by reviewing key infrastructure requirements that will play a critical role iin the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

On April 22, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that SDF-US forces raided a farm in the Kesrat Faraj area, known as the “Al-Baghdadi” farm in Raqqa, where they found gold, money, and weapons.

Moreover, SDF and Coalition members additionally conducted facility assessments at the ar-Raqqah Detention Facility and the Regional Asayish Headquarters to evaluate and maintain their security posture.

The SDF liberated Raqqa from ISIS in Oct. 2017, with the support of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.

Nevertheless, ISIS cells remain active in the region and have attacked security forces and civilian institutions.

US forces withdrew from Raqqa in October 2019 after a Turkish military incursion in northern Syria.

Nevertheless, US forces remain in the Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor province and occasionally carry out operations and visits to Raqqa.