Syrian Democratic Forces End Sweeping Security Operation in Hasakah, Arresting 51 ISIS Militants

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Friday the completion of a sweeping security operation in the northeastern city of Hasakah and its outskirts, resulting in the arrest of 51 suspected terrorist Islamic State militants. The operation targeted dormant ISIS cells accused of plotting attacks against prisons, displacement camps, and civilian infrastructure. 

According to a statement from the SDF’s media center, the campaign — code-named “Everlasting Security of the People” — lasted 14 hours and involved more than 3,000 fighters. Raids were carried out across multiple neighborhoods and rural hideouts, dismantling several networks the group described as “dangerous terrorist cells,” some linked to prior assaults on civilians and security facilities. 

“The operation was a preemptive strike against ISIS attempts to reorganize, particularly near detention centers where thousands of its members are held,” said SDF spokesperson Abgar Dawood.

Preliminary Statement on the Launch of the Security Sweep Campaign in Al-Hasakah

البيان الختامي لعملية “أمن الشعوب الدائم” في الحسكة pic.twitter.com/3QUmZa0gy0

— Syrian Democratic Forces (@SDF_Syria) August 30, 2025

The statement highlighted intelligence suggesting ISIS operatives were working to turn Hasakah into a hub for renewed activity, focusing especially on neighborhoods near the notorious al-Sina’a prison, where hundreds of ISIS leaders and fighters remain incarcerated. Cells in the vicinity were reportedly preparing plans to free detainees and destabilize the city — a strategy ISIS has attempted before with bloody consequences. 

During the raids, security forces seized a significant cache of weapons and logistical supplies, including 50 Kalashnikov rifles and 155 magazines, 16 pistols with matching magazines, one BKC machine gun with ammunition, three Brno rifles, five hand grenades, three radio devices, and military gear and uniforms intended for covert operations 

The SDF said that several of the detainees had been directly involved in earlier plots against al-Sina’a prison and al-Hol camp, the sprawling desert camp that holds tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children. 

The operation, the statement continued, was timed against the backdrop of heightened ISIS activity across central Syria, where security vacuums in the desert allow cells to operate with relative freedom. “By extending their reach, these networks aimed to penetrate the north and east, where prisons and camps remain their priority targets,” the SDF warned. 

Although the arrests mark a tactical success, the SDF stressed that the fight is far from over. “The end of this operation is an important step toward reinforcing stability in the region,” the statement read. “But our forces will continue to monitor suspicious movements and intensify counter-terrorism operations on all fronts.” 

The SDF also extended gratitude to the people of Hasakah for their cooperation during the raids, framing the effort as a joint victory. “We renew our pledge to make sacrifices to protect the security of our people and their stability against any terrorist threat,” the statement concluded. 

The campaign underscores both the resilience of ISIS cells in Syria and the ongoing challenges faced by the Syrian Democratic Forces, who remain at the center of global efforts to contain the remnants of the self-proclaimed caliphate.