The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of militias led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), have put the number of suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group at around 130 as part of a week-long security operation in the northern city of Raqqa.
The SDF said in a statement published on its website that the operations, which were supported by air support from the international coalition led by the United States, were carried out between January 25 and February 1 against «hideouts» of the jihadists in and around Raqqa.
«The operations led to immediate and effective results against the plans and movements of Islamic State in the region,» they stressed, before putting the number of those arrested at 127, including Atala al-Mezan, identified as the ‘governor’ of the jihadists in Raqqa province.
They also stressed that four «terrorist cells» planning attacks and providing logistical support to the group, including the preparation of explosives, have been dismantled, while the Kurdish forces have seized «many weapons» and Islamic State propaganda documents.
The SDF noted that the operations also uncovered «old tunnels used by Islamic State terrorists when they controlled Raqqa», before stressing that they were launched «at the request of notables, tribal sheikhs and the local population in the face of increasing terrorist acts by Islamic State cells».
In particular, he recalled that among these attacks, the one executed on December 26 against a prison in the city stands out, while stating that the SDF «will continue to search for the terrorist cells of the Islamic State through specific operations when necessary, altering their plans to destabilize the security of the regions, which have left thousands of martyrs to eliminate all types of terrorism».
The SDF and the U.S.-led coalition resumed in early December their joint operations, briefly suspended by Kurdish forces because of Turkish bombardments against their positions under operation ‘Sword Claw’, a bombing campaign against Kurdish groups following the Nov. 13, 2022 bombing in Istanbul, which left six dead and more than 80 wounded.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
