July Sleeper Cell Report – Increased ISIS Attacks Amid DAANES’ Efforts to Stabilize Security Tensions in the Region and Reconciliation Forum for Releasing Prisoners

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Capture of ISIS senior member IED specialist Ahmad Mahmoud al-Qarsha, also known as  Abu Muadh al-Kurdi (image from SDF Press)

Key Points 

  • 18 ISIS sleeper cell attacks across NES in July, a slight increase from June
  • ISIS attacks resulted in 4 SDF members killed, 1 injured and 2 civilians killed
  • 14 SDF raids against ISIS sleeper cells, resulting in 36 arrests, killing of 2 ISIS militants
  • ISIS activity focused on oil-related targets
  • Russia repatriates 20 children, Kyrgyzstan repatriates 14 children and 8 women, marking a total of 42 repatriations in July.
  • DAANES issues the 10th General Amnesty Law, so far releasing 348 prisoners
  • 347 people were resettled from al-Hol Camp to Deir ez-Zor

In-depth

RIC recorded 18 confirmed sleeper cell attacks in NES, a slight increase from the 15 recorded in June, but not quite as many as the 23 recorded in May. Once again, these attacks were concentrated in Deir ez-Zor region. ISIS attacks resulted in the deaths of four military personnel, one wounded, and two civilians killed. The intensity of attacks against civilians and oil infrastructure remained high this month.

Of these attacks, six targeted SDF military positions and checkpoints. One of which took place on July 13th, when two SDF members, Imad Badr Matar and Zuhair Faraj al-Ab, were killed in the village of al-Jarzi, eastern Deir ez-Zor. Two other SDF members were killed in separate attacks on July 25th and 26th, and one was injured on July 28th.

A major pattern observed again in July were attacks on oil-related targets, similar to those in May. ISIS again prioritized oil infrastructure, with 10 reported incidents of ISIS attacks on oil-related targets, all of which occurred in Deir ez-Zor. Of these 10 attacks, 6 targeted oil tanker trucks, 1 targeted an oil well, and 3 targeted oil investors. As a result of these attacks, on July 18th an oil investor and on July 31st, one oil tanker driver was killed. Moreover, on July 5th ISIS set fire to Al-Khashan oil well in al-Jarzy al-Sharqy, Deir ez-Zor, under the pretext that the owners did not pay the zakat (ISIS tax). 

Capture of three ISIS Cell with ammunition and machine guns (SDF press)

SDF forces conducted 14 counter-ISIS raids, up from the 8 recorded in June, some with support of the Coalition. During these raids, 36 ISIS suspected members were arrested and 2 were killed, showing a significant increase from the 12 arrests in the previous month. On July 3rd, the Anti-Terror Forces (HAT) carried out an operation during which they raided the hideout of four ISIS members, arrested them, and seized weapons, explosives, and ammunition. Just one day later, on July 4th, in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, Internal Security Forces (Asayish), arrested 11 people suspected to be affiliated with ISIS. On July 8th, the Asayish announced the arrest of three ISIS members in the town of Tel Hamis in the northeastern countryside of Heseke. They were hiding in a tent, disguised as shepherds. Later, it was revealed that one of the arrestees is responsible for the logistics of sleeper cells. On July 11th, the SDF arrested a senior ISIS member specializing in IEDs, Ahmad Mahmoud al-Qarsha, aka Abu Muadh al-Kurdi. The SDF stated, “Interrogation revealed that al-Qarsha confessed to his involvement in constructing and arming the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) used in a suicide attack against one of our SDF positions in Al-Shuhail, eastern Deir ez-Zor countryside, on May 10th, 2024, which resulted in the martyrdom of three of our fighters and the wounding of seven others.”

On July 13th, Mohamed Osman Ali, an ISIS member hiding in Qamishlo, was arrested by SDF’s Military Operations Teams (MOT). Also, on July 14th, Asayish captured Khaled Hassan al-Salloum in coordination with the Coalition. Al-Salloum is accused of having been a head in ISIS’ financial services in Deir ez-Zor. Moreover, Anti-Terrorism Units (YAT) arrested three ISIS members, one of them a high-ranking member, in collaboration with the Coalition, in al-Suwar town. In Raqqa, the former ISIS caliphate capital, on July 18th and 23rd, two high-ranking ISIS members, Fayez Abid al-Muhammad and Hazim Suleiman al-Jabn, were captured. The latter is accused of financing ISIS sleeper cells in Raqqa.

Meanwhile, on July 26th, the SDF announced the killing of one ISIS member in Deir ez-Zor. In al-Karama town, Raqqa area, YAT in collaboration with the Coalition, conducted a raid that resulted in the arrest of one ISIS member and the killing of another, identified as Saad Salim al-Hamdan on July 28th.

As a response to the 2nd Syrian Tribes Forum, which took place on 25th May,  DAANES published a new General Amnesty Law on July 17th, the 10th since 2019. The law applies only to Syrian prisoners and those imprisoned in relation to terrorist offenses. It includes that life sentences will be reduced to 15 years, all prisoners with a terminal illness or those who are at least 75 years old will be released immediately. Excluded from this law are leaders of terrorist organizations or those who committed bombings and other deadly attacks. According to the DAANES 1,500 prisoners are scheduled to be released under the new law. RIC recorded the release of 329 terrorism-related prisoners in July. At least 13,763 ISIS-linked Syrians once held in the camp have been returned in such tribal sponsorship programs since 2019. Read more about DAANES’ attempts to de-radicalize its ISIS prisoners here.

Several false reports emerged alleging that DAANES is releasing Iraqi ISIS prisoners to destabilize the region. These reports are false, as Ali Rahmoun, deputy Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) in Qamishlo attested: “The amnesty law does not apply to Iraqi and third-country nationals. These prisoners are awaiting international decisions to hold them accountable for their actions. As DAANES we have called for international tribunals several times. We have not and will not pardon or prosecute any Iraqi or third-country nationals.” Furthermore, the law explicitly states that prisoners who are leaders of a terrorist organization or those who have been involved in killings are excluded from the law.

 

In continuation of the ongoing attempt to empty al-Hol Camp a total of 347 people (82 families), most of whom children and women, were relocated from al-Hol camp to their homes in Deir ez-Zor. This marks the 55th batch of families leaving al-Hol camp overall. The total number of Syrians released from al-Hol camp now stands at 15,095, according to RIC data.

This month, Kyrgyzstan repatriated 8 women and 14 children from ISIS-linked families in North and East Syria, marking a total of 6 repatriation missions from the region. Additionally, Russia repatriated 20 children in July.

In line with RIC’s findings of increased ISIS sleeper cell activities in 2024, Operation Inherent Resolve’s 2024 Q2 report assesses that 10 years after the occupation of Mosul “ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks claimed in 2023, an indication that the group is attempting to reconstitute”.