The U.S.-led International Coalition continues coordinated operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, driven by Washington’s concern that the group may be rebuilding its networks through scattered sleeper cells, particularly amid fragile security conditions across the country.
These efforts unfold against growing international warnings about the dangers posed by prisons and camps holding ISIS fighters and their families in northeastern and eastern Syria, where thousands of former militants remain detained.
Joint Raid in Deir ez-Zor
On Wednesday morning, Coalition forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) conducted a joint security operation in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province.
Local media reported that Coalition aircraft carried out an airborne raid in the town of Marat targeting individuals suspected of ISIS affiliation. The operation focused on the homes of Hatem al-Baw Saud, a former Free Syrian Army commander, and Sadiq al-Aziz, another ex-FSA member accused of joining ISIS.
According to Enab Baladi, al-Aziz and another individual were detained, while al-Baw Saud escaped. Prior to the raid, SDF units searched nearby houses, and the operation—supported by four Apache helicopters—lasted nearly four hours. Warplanes and drones simultaneously conducted intensive aerial surveillance over the area.
The Persistent Threat of ISIS Detention Sites
The operation reflects a wider escalation in U.S. and Western concerns over ISIS’s potential resurgence, as recent weeks have seen an uptick in attacks on security positions and civilian areas in northeastern Syria.
Adding to these concerns are detention facilities and camps holding ISIS members and their families. A recent Wall Street Journal report noted that more than two dozen prisons and camps run by the SDF contain the world’s largest concentration of captured ISIS fighters since the fall of the group’s territorial caliphate in 2019.
Among the most prominent sites is al-Sina’a Prison in northeastern Syria, where some of the organization’s most dangerous militants are held. Overall, the SDF is responsible for approximately 9,000 male detainees and 41,000 people in surrounding camps—many of them foreign nationals whose countries have yet to repatriate them.
Within this landscape of political instability, collapsing state institutions, and shifting military control, analysts warn of prison breaks, renewed radicalization, and coordinated ISIS operations. Cells have reportedly acquired weapons from abandoned regime stockpiles and carried out ambushes, bombings, and recruitment activities.
The Coalition raid in Marat, therefore, is viewed less as an isolated incident than as part of an ongoing effort to prevent the reactivation of ISIS networks in Deir ez-Zor and beyond.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
