November Sleeper Cell Report – SDF Security Operation in al-Hol Camp
SDF’s “Operation Enduring Security”, al-Hol camp [RIC]
Key points
- 24 sleeper cell attacks in November, 1 down from October
- 4 military personnel killed and 15 injured, 4 civilians killed and 7 injured in ISIS sleeper cell attacks
- Outside of al-Hol camp, 6 suspected ISIS members were arrested in 4 SDF/Asayish raids – down from the 9 arrested in October
- A 7-day-long SDF “Operation Enduring Security” in al-Hol camp and its countryside saw 79 suspected ISIS members arrested, bringing the total number of raids conducted this month to 11 (for the purposes of data collection, RIC counts each day of special operation in al-Hol camp as one raid) and the total number of arrestees to 85
- Russia repatriated 26 children from North and East Syria (NES)
- SDF rescued a Yazidi man from ISIS captivity in Manbij
In-depth
This month, RIC recorded 24 sleeper cell attacks in NES; one less than the 25 attacks of October. These attacks were concentrated in the Deir ez-Zor canton – only four occurred in other cantons. ISIS’ November attacks killed 4 military personnel and injured 15, while also killing 4 civilians and injuring 7. Excluding a special security operation in al-Hol camp, the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and Asayish (internal security forces) conducted four counter-ISIS raids in November, a decrease from the nine registered in October. During these raids, 6 suspected ISIS members were arrested, marking a slight decrease from the 13 arrests carried out the previous month.
Continuing a pattern of targeting political or social representatives working within the DAANES system, on November 4, suspected ISIS militants killed the head of the local council for the al-Azbah and Marrat areas in the northern Deir ez-Zor countryside. The attack also left a woman and a child injured. On November 6, ISIS sleeper cells attacked the house of a civilian from the reconciliation committee in Abo Khashab Town in Deir ez-Zor.
In a similar attack on November 23, ISIS cells attacked and shot the owner of a roastery in al-Hossan Square, Deir ez-Zor, injuring him. These assassination attempts were all carried out using hit-and-run tactics – sleeper cells’ primary method of attack since the defeat of the so-called Caliphate in 2019. Most ISIS cells use motorbikes to quickly escape via short routes into the Syrian desert.
Targets related to oil continued to be a focus of attacks, primarily oil tanker carriers, which were targeted on November 3, 7 and 9 in Deir ez-Zor. An oil truck in al-Shaddadi, Heseke, was targeted on November 13 – resulting in the deaths of one truck driver and one SDF member. On the 25th, an attack on an oil-related site led to the death of another driver in Deir ez-Zor, and an attack on the 26th killed two tanker drivers and injured another.
Over the past eleven months of this year, ISIS attacks targeting the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and Asayish (internal security forces) have been a consistent feature. This month, half of sleeper cell attacks were on SDF positions or other military structures.
On November 7, two fighters from the conscription units of the SDF were injured in a sleeper cell RPG attack on their vehicle in Deir ez-Zor, which led to clashes. On November 12, the al-Afet military post of the SDF on al-Mayadeen Bridge, east of Deir ez-Zor, came under similar RPG fire. On November 14, ISIS members attacked an SDF vehicle with an IED in al-Azbah, Deir ez-Zor. The following day, a military checkpoint of the SDF in Zaiban Town, Deir ez-Zor, was the target. On November 17, ISIS attacked an SDF checkpoint in the area between al-Shaheel and al-Hawayej, Deir ez-Zor, resulting in the death of an SDF member and several injuries. Then on November 17, a booby-trapped motorcycle in al-Abyad Road, Heseke, injured three SDF fighters. The next day, suspected sleeper cell fighters targeted an SDF checkpoint in Zaiban, Deir ez-Zor, though no casualties were reported.
In the highest casualty event of the month, 2 SDF personnel were killed and 10 injured when an IED mine near the al-Azbah junction, Deir ez-Zor, struck an SDF vehicle on November 21. Two days later, ISIS sleeper cells attacked an SDF patrol escorting oil trucks in al-Dahlah town, Deir ez-Zor. On November 24, ISIS members targeted an SDF position in Gharibah, Deir ez-Zor, leading to clashes. The following day, two cars belonging to Asayish were targeted in Abu Khashab town, Deir ez-Zor. Finally, on November 27, an ISIS sleeper cell targeted an SDF checkpoint in al-Hawayej, Deir ez-Zor.
Capture of an ISIS member in Qamishlo [Photo: SDF Press]
In November, SDF and Asayish conducted four raids against ISIS sleeper cells; down from the previous month. This total excludes the raids and arrests carried out across a seven-day security operation in al-Hol camp which is covered in the next paragraph. On November 1, SDF Military Operation Teams (TOL) and the Coalition conducted a rare raid in Qamishlo, arresting ISIS member Karam al-Mushawat. Due to low ISIS activity, Qamishlo and its countryside see relatively few raids compared to other regions. Another joint SDF-Coalition raid in Wady al-Ahmar village, saw two suspected ISIS members captured and their weapons confiscated on November 14. The next day, Asayish arrested two individuals reportedly involved in ISIS financing activities in Zaiban, Deir ez-Zor. On November 19, SDF arrested one ISIS suspect in al-Hawayij, Deir ez-Zor, after an attack on their checkpoint. Notably, SDF units rescued Diyar Ali Raffo, a Yazidi man, who was being held by sleeper cell fighters in Manbij. He was born in 2002 in Kocho, Sinjar. He and his family were kidnapped by ISIS in 2014. Having spent 10 years in ISIS captivity, Raffo stated he is hoping to reunite with his family in Sinjar.
Diyar Ali Raffo, freed from ISIS captivity
On November 6, the SDF, YPJ, and Asayish in NES launched the security campaign “Operation Enduring Security.” Units publicized conducting large-scale sweep raids in the countryside of Heseke, around the notorious al-Hol camp and the Syrian-Iraqi border. The SDF reported 40 suspected ISIS members being apprehended, and weapons and ammunition being confiscated. The second day of the operation focussed on the southern and northern countryside of al-Hol town. An additional seven suspects were arrested. On the third day, the campaign extended into the town itself and inside al-Hol camp, resulting in 16 more arrests. The operation focused particularly on the so-called “foreign female section” within the camp, known for being home to militant ISIS women who came from outside Syria and Iraq to join the so-called Caliphate. On the fourth day, security units discovered a dead body, weapons, and trenches inside the camp, and arrested ten more ISIS suspects. The operation concluded after seven days. A total of 79 individuals suspected of being involved with ISIS or providing support to the organization were apprehended. While the discovery of a dead body indicates that ISIS sleeper cells continue to carry out assassinations and impose control inside the camp, such killings are much rarer than they were in 2020 and 2021 – a testament to the effectiveness of repeated SDF security operations inside the camp.
In its 21st repatriation mission conducted in NES, Russia took home 26 children (14 boys and 12 girls) from Roj camp. This brings the total number of ISIS-linked family members repatriated by Russia from NES to 559, making it the second-highest number globally, according to RIC data.