The anti-terror units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have arrested three members of ISIS in Shaddadi. According to a statement published by the SDF press office on Monday, the operation took place in the village of Abadan with the support of the international anti- ISIS coalition. Numerous documents and military equipment were also seized in the process, it said.

The arrested ISIS members are accused by the SDF of providing assistance to militia cell structures in the procurement and manufacture of explosive devices. ISIS changed its military tactics and methods of operation when SDF crushed its territorial rule in eastern Syria in the spring of 2019, and is now increasingly relying on smaller networks and sleeper cells. Such underground structures operate primarily in the eastern part of Syria, particularly in Deir ez-Zor, but also across the border in Iraq.

After several large-scale operations by the SDF, many of these networks have been dismantled. Nevertheless, ISIS is able to regroup again and again because it enjoys the support of both the Turkish and Syrian states. Both regional powers have a vested interest in destabilizing the region of northern and eastern Syria in preparation for an invasion or annexation.