The Syrian Democratic Forces conducted a counter-terrorism operation in December 2024 and detained several ISIS members in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor as part of dismantling ISIS cells in northeast Syria. The group had been taking advantage of the local instability to that end. On December 27, 2024, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced that they had detained four ISIS members in Al-Junaina, western Deir ez-Zor. The operation is part and parcel of the efforts to break down ISIS cells in the region, which has been unstable with ongoing conflicts and unrest.
The SDF conducted a security operation in Raqqa, where they arrested an ISIS leader. Here, it is evident that the SDF does not take lightly and is serious about checking some of the high-profile figures within the organization as part of its counter-terrorism strategy. On December 30, 2024, the SDF detained two ISIS mercenaries involved in distributing weapons and military equipment in Raqqa Canton. This operation underlines the ongoing threat of ISIS cells operating in the area.
These attacks show the continuous efforts by the SDF and the rest of the coalition in fighting ISIS as well as security in the northern parts of Syria despite being posed with ongoing problems from these extremists. SDF has been the United States’ major ally in its fight against ISIS, participating heavily in all operations that brought an end to such strategic places such as Raqqa. Its military achievements notwithstanding, the SDF is posed with ongoing challenges, such as political exclusion from the peace negotiations over Syria’s future and tensions with Turkey over Kurdish affiliations.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups and officially serves as the military wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES; also unofficially known as Rojava). The SDF is allied to and supplied by the United States–led CJTF–OIR international alliance. The SDF was founded on 10 October 2015 and claims that its mission consists of fighting in order to create a secular, democratic and federalized Syria.
The SDF has been one of the main partners of the United States in fighting ISIS. It played a great role in several key offensives that helped in liberating Raqqa, a very important territory in Syria. Though militarily, they are achieving so much they face ongoing political exclusion from negotiations about the future of Syria, and the relations between Turkey and Syria remain strained because of the SDF’s Kurdish affiliations.
The Pentagon has restated that its collaboration with the SDF is mainly aimed at defeating ISIS. According to U.S. officials, although they admire their collaboration with the SDF, their focus continues to be on confronting the ISIS threat in Syria. According to President Biden, the U.S. troops will continue carrying out missions against ISIS and protecting detention centres with ISIS inmates.
The Syrian Democratic Forces have been quite active in operations against ISIS. In large measure, these efforts focused on removing the organization’s structures and presence from northeast Syria. In fact, they have continued to operate in the middle Euphrates River valley, focusing on the last remnants of ISIS. They would not give in to any area of ISIS no matter how tough the local dynamics are and as the group continues with its insurgent activities.
