The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it conducted six security operations against Islamic State group cells in October, arresting 79 suspects, including two alleged cell leaders, and seizing large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and explosives. The operations came in response to increased cell activity in northern and eastern Syria, the SDF-aligned Hawar News Agency reported on Tuesday, November 4.

At the same time, the SDF faces accusations of targeting and killing civilians during raids, most recently on November 2 in the town of al-Hisan (western Deir Ezzor countryside, eastern Syria), where a civilian was wounded. The SDF also handed over the bodies of two young men it had detained while injured during a security operation in Deir Ezzor countryside five days earlier.

According to Hawar, the October operations unfolded as follows:

• October 1: In al-Takihi (eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, eastern Syria), the SDF foiled a plot by an Islamic State cell, arresting three members and seizing weapons and documents allegedly linking them to planned attacks against civilians.
• October 5: The SDF and Internal Security Forces (Asayish) detained 71 people in a wide security sweep in the countryside of Ain Issa (northern Raqqa countryside, northern Syria), confiscating weapons, ammunition, and materials described as used for “violence and terror.”
• October 16: SDF Commando units, in coordination with the US-led International Coalition, conducted two raids in eastern Deir Ezzor countryside. In al-Bureyha near al-Busayrah (eastern Deir Ezzor countryside), forces arrested an Islamic State member accused of attacks on military personnel and civilians and seized weapons and ammunition. A second raid in al-Sabha (eastern Deir Ezzor countryside) led to the arrest of two suspects accused of participating in several attacks on security forces and civilians.
• October 21: SDF Tactical Operations Teams (TOL), backed by Coalition forces, carried out a raid in al-Tabqah (Raqqa province, northern Syria), detaining an alleged cell leader, Ahmad Abdelqader al-Mousa, said to be responsible for receiving, distributing, and moving weapons and military equipment to cells and surveilling SDF positions.
• October 23: SDF TOL units, with Coalition coordination and support, conducted a raid in Maskanah (eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria), arresting another alleged senior cell leader, Ahmad Khalaf al-Hussein, from Maskanah.

Hawar added that since the start of 2025, the SDF and security services have conducted 76 security operations against Islamic State cells, resulting in 174 arrests, including five alleged leaders, and the killing of seven others, two of them described as leaders.

Operations affecting civilians

In Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), recent SDF operations have also affected civilians. On November 3, the SDF handed over the bodies of Mohammad Muheydi al-Rashid al-Hweish and Ali al-Najm al-Hweish, who had been detained while injured during a joint SDF–Coalition operation that began late on October 29 and continued into the early hours of October 30, involving intensive helicopter and drone activity. Five others were detained at the time, including a child and a woman.

The child, Saleh al-Hweish, a cousin of the two men, remains in detention, while the woman, Iman al-Muhsin al-Qamari, was released hours after her arrest, Enab Baladi’s Deir Ezzor correspondent reported.

Tensions in western Deir Ezzor

On November 2, the SDF wounded a civilian in al-Hisan (western Deir Ezzor countryside), triggering local tensions. It was the second such incident in roughly 10 days in the area.

Islamic State claims 38 attacks in 70 days

The Islamic State group claimed 38 attacks against what it called “PKK militia”, its term for the SDF, across parts of northeastern Syria over a 70-day period, according to an accounting in issue 517 of its weekly newsletter al-Naba, published October 16. The group said the attacks were distributed across its so-called Syrian “provinces” as follows: 29 in Deir Ezzor, five in Raqqa, and four in al-Hasakah (northeastern Syria), alleging 53 SDF personnel were killed or injured, including two commanders.