October Sleeper Cell Report – Slight Increase in ISIS Attacks Amid Turkey’s Aggression on NES
Key points
- 25 sleeper cell attacks in October, 2 more than in September
- 2 military personnel killed and 9 injured, 1 civilian killed and 2 injured in ISIS sleeper cell attacks
- 1 ISIS member killed and 13 arrested in 9 SDF or Asayish raids – down from the 18 arrested in September
- Denmark repatriated a woman and a child from North and East Syria (NES)
- 181 Iraqi families leaving al-Hol camp
In-depth
This month, RIC recorded 25 sleeper cell attacks in NES, slightly up from the 23 attacks in September. The majority of these attacks were concentrated in the Deir ez-Zor canton with only 3 occurring in other cantons. ISIS’ October attacks killed 2 military personnel and injured 9, and killed 1 civilian and injured 2. The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and Asayish (internal security forces) conducted 9 counter-ISIS raids in the month of October, close to the 10 registered last month. During these raids, 13 suspected ISIS members were arrested and 1 was killed, marking a slight decrease from the 18 arrests carried out the month prior.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on October 24th, 3 women and 4 children of ISIS families were arrested by security forces when they were trying to escape from al-Hol camp. On October 29th, SDF units arrested 2 suspected ISIS members in al-Hol camp: Khaled Mahmoud Ali, an Iraqi from Haditha, and Abdullah Jamal Khalaf, an Iraqi from Ramadi.
Targets related to oil continued to be a focus of attacks. On October 2nd, in the village of al-Hadadiyah, Heseke, oil tankers were targeted and 1 driver was injured by ISIS Sleeper Cells. On the same day, in Ruwayshid, Deir ez-Zor, other oil tankers were directly targeted. Attacks on other oil locations also occurred on October 2nd, 4th, 12th, 17th, 19th and lastly on the 24th. In Jazrat Bu Hamid, Raqqa, ISIS also conducted an attack on wheat silos, in which one guard was severely injured.
Such attacks on oil and food infrastructure aggravate the difficulties caused by Turkey’s October aerial assault on NES. Between the 23rd and 26th, Turkey launched a series of airstrikes targeting vital infrastructure, including power stations, oil facilities, and grain silos. This caused significant disruption to local supply chains of fuel and bread. The attacks heightened regional tensions and raised humanitarian concerns, as they affected critical resources for civilian life.
Throughout October, the Deir ez-Zor canton witnessed a series of targeted attacks by ISIS cells against the SDF and other local security positions. These incidents highlight the enduring instability in SDF’s territories and the persistent danger of ISIS sleeper cells. On October 5th, ISIS fighters launched an assault on an SDF military vehicle in Al-Attal, Deir ez-Zor, marking the start of a string of attacks across the month.
Four days later, on October 9, a reported ISIS attack on SDF commandos in Harizah resulted in the death of 1 and injuries to another. In a similar incident on October 13th, ISIS sleeper cells targeted a Self-Defense Forces position in al-Busayrah, further escalating the violence in the area. The following day, on October 14th, ISIS operatives struck an SDF checkpoint in Al-Dahla, injuring 1 soldier. On the same day a SDF personnel was killed at a checkpoint by ISIS cell members in Al-Zerr, Deir ez-Zor.
Meanwhile, on October 15th, Sleeper Cells targeted a SDF car passing Zaiban town Deir ez-Zor. On October 16th and again on October 19th, SDF checkpoints in Deir ez-Zor came under attack, with ISIS cells continuing to deploy swift and evasive tactics. Attacks by armed gunmen escalated again on October 22nd and October 24th, injuring 2 SDF personnel and targeting a Self-Defense Forces position, respectively. Another ambush on October 29th in Al-Hawayij resulted in injuries to 4 SDF combatants, marking it the attack with the most casualties that month. On October 31rd, local gunmen armed with shoulder-launched missiles attacked an SDF position in Zeban, highlighting the continued reach and persistence of ISIS cells in the region.
Alongside the attacks which targeted SDF locations, sleeper cell activity has also focused on people perceived to be affiliated to the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), and those rejecting governance efforts from ISIS. On October 7th, the head of the Deir ez-Zor Civil Council was targeted in his house in Al-Sabha. Notably, on October 11th, 2 alleged ISIS members opened fire on an oil worker in an oil field outside his home in Zaiban, Deir ez-Zor.
The recent wave of violence in Deir ez-Zor signals an ongoing security challenge as ISIS cells, though diminished in strength, leverage tactics to destabilise local forces, hitting the resilience of the SDF and allied security teams across NES. At the start of October, in a raid, the Asayish arrested an ISIS suspect in al-Wadawda town, Deir ez-Zor.
Capture of three ISIS Sleeper Cell members in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor [Photo: SDF Press]
On October 2nd, the Syrian Democratic Forces Military Operations Units (TOL), with Coalition support, arrested Ghazi Al-Farhan, an alleged ISIS sleeper cell member, in a raid in Khasham, Deir ez-Zor. The following day, TOL units detained Manhal and Madin Ibrahim Al-Hamoud in Al-Hamrat, Raqqa, both suspected of supplying military resources to ISIS cells.
On October 6th, joint operations by the SDF and the Coalition resulted in the capture of 3 alleged ISIS members in Raqqa. In a similar raid in Sweidan Jazirah, Deir ez-Zor, one ISIS sleeper cell member was killed and another arrested. Notably, on October 18th, SDF special units arrested a man in Heseke accused of collecting zakat to fund ISIS families and threatening those who refused to pay. In a separate operation, SDF forces also report intercepting 2 ISIS members attempting to plant a landmine on the Heseke-Shaddadi road.
A repatriation delegation from Denmark visits the DAANES. [Photo: DAANES]
On the 10th anniversary of the formation of the Global Coalition against ISIS, member states reaffirmed their commitment to mobilize and coordinate efforts to defeat ISIS wherever it operates, including continued support for stability and reconciliation in North and East Syria, countering global networks, securing justice for crimes committed, and fostering lasting peace in liberated areas.
In October, a delegation from Denmark visited NES to repatriate an ISIS-linked woman and a child from NES. This latest repatriation brings the total of Denmark citizens repatriated to 24, as per RIC data. Iraq also repatriated 181 families, consisting of 706 individuals from al-Hol camp.
