The Kurdish-led SDF on Friday said in a statement its Anti-Terrorism Units (YAT) raided a building in Raqqa city, arresting ISIS emir Abdulghafour Taber al-Diab (aka Abu Amir), describing him as a financial manager of ISIS “responsible for financing the ISIS terrorist cells and their terrorist acts in the region, supplying them with weapons.”
“Various weapons and military equipment were confiscated during the operation,” added the SDF.
The Sulaimani-based Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) had an “active participation” in the raid and the US-led global coalition against ISIS were providing aerial support, according to the statement.
The SDF has carried out several other joint operations with the CTG, which is unofficially tied to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The US-backed force announced in a separate statement later in the day that it had ended the Operation Security Reinforcement which was launched on August 27 in Deir ez-Zor against ISIS activities. The SDF said that the operation later changed its plan, hitting Arab tribes which had sided with the Syrian regime and revolved against the Kurdish administration following the arrest of one of their SDF-affiliated commanders.
Nine civilians, 25 SDF fighters and 23 members of anti-SDF groups were killed in the operation. Four regime-affiliated fighters, two ISIS members and fifteen members of revolting tribes were arrested by the SDF, read the statement. “In addition, large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and explosives were confiscated.”
Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the SDF, said on Thursday that an amnesty would be announced for those people who were arrested for their involvement in recent clashes in Deir ez-Zor, excluding those affiliated to the regime.
