Syrian Democratic Forces announce arrest of 150 suspected ISIS members in operation in Raqqa

RAQQA, Syria — The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested 150 individuals suspected members or leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS) as a part of its “Revenge for the Martyrs of Raqqa” campaign. The campaign was launched in late January to track down remaining ISIS members in Raqqa and its surrounding areas.

In a statement, the SDF reported that the operation was prompted by intelligence that indicated ISIS is attempting to reorganize its cells, appoint new leaders, and escalate from individual attacks to large-scale assaults on detention centers and prisons holding its members.

The campaign was launched with raids on multiple potential ISIS hideouts in Raqqa and Tabqa, leading to the discovery of a significant amount of weapons and ammunition, including a warehouse used by ISIS in the village of Al-Ayed in the Tabqa countryside.

The campaign is a response to the 26 December attack by ISIS on an Internal Security Forces (ISF) center in Raqqa’s Al-Diriyah neighborhood which resulted in several ISF casualties.