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SDF Arrests ISIS Commander in Eastern Syria

Members of Kurdish internal security forces stand guard during a security operation inside al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
Members of Kurdish internal security forces stand guard during a security operation inside al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
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SDF Arrests ISIS Commander in Eastern Syria

Members of Kurdish internal security forces stand guard during a security operation inside al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
Members of Kurdish internal security forces stand guard during a security operation inside al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

Syrian Kurdish-led forces captured a local ISIS commander in eastern Syria as part of an ongoing operation targeting sleeper cells in the city of Raqqa, the US-backed forces announced Thursday.

The commander served as the chief of the extremist group’s faction for Raqqa and was among the 68 militants detained in the operation, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said.

The operation started earlier this week, in response to a December attack by ISIS that targeted military and security buildings in Raqqa and killed at least six Syrian Kurdish fighters. A Kurdish commander, Mazloum Abdi, said they had indications of “serious preparations" by ISIS for attacks.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ISIS militants also targeted a military intelligence prison holding some 200 militants in the December attack.

The captured ISIS commander was identified as Atallah al-Maythan. Syrian Kurdish forces said he headed the militant group's operations across Raqqa province, and allegedly “confessed to his involvement in planning and leading terrorist acts," extorted money from residents in the area and kept ISIS sleeper cells in contact.

Some 5,000 Syrian Kurdish-led fighters are involved in the operation, and have already raided some 80 locations, their spokesperson, Farhad Shami, told The Associated Press. The US-led coalition was providing air support, reconnaissance, and gathering intelligence, Shami added.

This is the second recent operation by the US-backed forces in Syria. In late December, the Syrian Kurdish-led fighters targeted ISIS cells in al-Hol and Tal Hamis, following a surge in militant attacks.

The US Central Command said that 215 militants from ISIS were arrested last year and 466 were killed in Syria.

There are roughly 900 US troops in Syria.

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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations.

Some 70-80% of hospitals in Sudan were not running and there were concerns cholera could surge due to damage caused by the war to water infrastructure, the International Committee of the Red Cross told reporters in Geneva.

"A recent drone attack stopped all the electricity provision in an area close to Khartoum, which means critical infrastructure is being damaged," said Patrick Youssef, the Red Cross's Regional Director for Africa, in a new report.

"There is a clear increased use of these technologies, drones - to be in the hands of everyone - which increases the impact on the local population and the intensity of attacks," Youssef said.

After two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, some people are returning to Khartoum after they were forced to flee when war broke out on April 15, 2023 amidst a ongoing power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict since 2023.

"We have seen violations of the law left, right and center,” Youssef said, urging the warring parties to allow the Red Cross access so it can offer humanitarian support and document atrocities.

In March, aid groups told Reuters that the RSF had placed new constraints on aid deliveries to territories where it was seeking to cement its control. Aid groups have also accused the army of denying or hindering access to RSF-controlled areas.

Both sides in the conflict deny impeding aid.