SDF capture senior ISIS leader in Deir ez-Zor

SDF announced the capture of a high-ranking ISIS leader in Deir ez-Zor. 

Osama al-Awaid was captured in an operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) counter-terror units on November 22 in Ta’ana village of Deir ez-Zor province, where he had been in hiding, according to the force. 

Awaid “had been in charge of security affairs in ISIS-held regions across northern Syrian cities such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor,” the SDF stated. 

They accuse Awaid of being directly involved in 40 deadly attacks on the SDF and civilians.

Mustafa Bali, media officer for the SDF, described Awaid as an assistant to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

ISIS’ influence and financial resources have been slashed. The group is now corralled into territory that is less than one percent of the ground it once controlled across Syria and Iraq, according to the US-led global coalition. 

There are an estimated 2,000 militants in the Euphrates River valley between Deir ez-Zor’s Hajin town and the border with Iraq. They are a battle-hardened and ideologically-driven group that includes many foreign fighters and senior leaders.