Sleeper Cell Report January 2025 – abrupt US funding cut to al-Hol camp sparks alarm
Urkesh rehabilitation center, Qamishlo [RIC]
Key Points
- 11 confirmed sleeper cell attacks, down from 18 in December
- 6 military personnel killed, 5 injured in ISIS attacks
- 17 suspected ISIS members arrested in SDF/Asayish raids; significantly down from last month’s 101
- 3 Iraqi repatriation missions in al-Hol camp bring home over 1,700 people
- RIC visits the Urkesh rehabilitation center, speaks to administration about efforts to de-radicalize children
- ISIS hits global news after attack in the US
In-depth
This month, RIC recorded 11 sleeper cell attacks in NES; down from 18 in December. These attacks killed 6 military personnel – down from December’s 14 – and injured 5. These attacks were mostly concentrated in the Deir ez-Zor canton – only four occurred in other cantons. In this month’s raids conducted by the SDF and Asayish, 5 ISIS members were killed and 22 arrested, including senior ISIS members.
This month, ISIS primarily focussed on military targets, striking SDF checkpoints and patrols. January witnessed few attacks on civilians or social institutions. On January 6 and 7 ISIS attacked military positions in Deir ez-Zor resulting in the death of four SDF personnel. Then there were a string of attacks all in Deir ez-Zor on January 11, 12, 14, 16, and 18 with a relatively low casualty toll of one SDF fighter killed and at least four injured.
In Heseke, an ISIS sleeper cell attacked an Internal Security Forces (Asayish) checkpoint on the way to Shaddadi on January 20, resulting in a clash between both parties. During this clash, an ISIS member was captured by Asayish.
ISIS targeted another Asayish checkpoint in Kharoum, Heseke on January 25. The attack left one Asayish member injured and one killed. On January 27, ISIS members attacked a military patrol of the Asayish with grenades in Heseke. The Asayish responded, leading to the killing of one of the attackers and the arrest of two others.
Arrest of two high ranking ISIS members in Deir ez-Zor [SDF press]
This month, the SDF and Asayish conducted six counter-ISIS raids, one of which was with direct participation of International Coalition force. These operations led to the arrest of 17 suspected ISIS members. Five sleeper cell operatives were also killed during the raids, and weapons and ammunition were seized.
On January 12, the SDF and Coalition forces killed four ISIS members, including one high-ranking member, in Bako, Heseke after they refused to surrender during an operation. On January 24, SDF Military Operations Teams (TOL) conducted a raid in Khasham, Deir ez-Zor, arresting two high-ranking ISIS members. One day later, TOL teams conducted a raid Qamishlo city, arresting two sleeper cell operatives before they could carry out an attack, according to the SDF press release.
The Iraqi government began 2025 with a string of repatriation missions in al-Hol, showing a notable leap in pace of repatriations compared to the year prior. While Iraq and the DAANES agreed to carry out and facilitate Iraqi repatriation in 2018, the Iraqi government suspended repatriation of its citizens from 2019 to 2020, before resuming it in 2021 due to pressure from the Coalition and DAANES. In the first month of 2025, Iraq made three repatriation missions in al-Hol camp, taking back 1,793 citizens. For comparison, in the whole of 2024, Iraq only made four missions, taking back a total of 2,740 citizens. On January 8, Iraq repatriated 715 people. A second batch of repatriations took place on January 25, comprising 578 individuals. Finally, on January 31, Iraq repatriated 500 citizens. No repatriations of third-country foreigners have occurred so far in 2025.
The fate of NES’ two camps housing ISIS-linked women – al-Hol and Roj – was thrust into the spotlight this month, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced an executive order suspending US foreign aid. This poses severe risks to the humanitarian and security situation in the camps. Blumont, a US aid group playing a key management role in al-Hol and Roj camps, was given a stop-work order on 24 January by the US state department. While a two-week waiver averted immediate disaster, this will expire tomorrow: “We have no idea what will happen tomorrow. It seems as if even the provision of bread will be halted,” Jihan Hanan, the director of al-Hol camp, told The Guardian. Read RIC’s flash update about the impacts of the US foreign aid freeze here.
Al-Hol camp, January 24 [RIC]
This month, RIC visited the Urkesh Rehabilitation Center near Qamishlo. The center was established in 2022 by the DAANES with the goal of de-radicalizing minors who had grown up in an environment with ISIS-affiliated adults around them, including their parents. NES officials say ISIS members – mostly women – have targeted children in al-Hol camp, training them ideologically and militarily, as well as encouraging young boys to have sex with older women in the camp. The camp authorities and the SDF have repeatedly stated that this paves the way for the emergence of a new generation of extremists. Child rehabilitation centers in NES aim to provide an environment that keeps children away from influences that foster radical and extremist thinking, in preparation for their reintegration into society.
Children in mathematics class in Urkesh rehabilitation center, Qamishlo [RIC]
The Urkesh administration told RIC that the rehabilitation process for minors is progressing at a moderate pace: “It is neither fast nor slow, as it depends on the individual and their response to education. While some youth have shown significant progress, others are still in the early stages.” 145 pre-teens and teens, ranging in age from 11 to 17, are currently in Urkesh. They come from 19 different countries. They receive daily classes in Arabic, English, maths and more, plus have regular personal therapy with a specialist. “It is a better life than in the camp,” an Urkesh administrator opines. “There is a library. They can take computer programs, or learn specialized skills, for example tailoring.”
“The biggest challenge facing the DAANES is that some minors have been de-radicalized to a good extent, but they are foreign nationals and their home countries are slow to repatriate them,” says the administrator. “We are concerned about minors growing older. We have five guys here who are now 18. It is neither a good option to send them back to camps nor to detainee facilities, which are environments conducive to ISIS organizing. If we do [send them back], all our efforts will be wasted.” The children are permitted to contact their mothers who are still inside al-Hol camp twice a month. “Mothers tell them not to forget to pray and to respect their promise not to abandon the Caliphate.”
Globally, January saw an attack in New Orleans’ Bourbon street carried out by an alleged ISIS member, raising concerns about the global risk still posed by ISIS. In an interview with The Guardian, SDF Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, drew attention to the importance of achieving stability in NES – and Syria overall – in order to contain this risk. Abdi stated ISIS cells sought to “take advantage” of the fact that the SDF is “mainly having their hands full” fending off attacks from Turkey and the Turkish-backed SNA. Such attacks have been ongoing intensely since December 1st, when the SNA seized the Shehba exclave region and proceeded to attack Manbij, supported by Turkish airstrikes.
