The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday (February 7th) said they had arrested 63 suspected militants in the Syrian city of al-Raqa during an operation against extremist sleeper cells, AFP reported.
In a statement, the SDF said the detainees belonged to "terrorist cells directly responsible for spreading terror and chaos" in the city.
At least 48 suspected members of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) were among those arrested, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman.
The arrests are part of a sweeping crackdown on alleged ISIS sleeper cells in territory controlled by the SDF, the Observatory said.
According to the Observatory, suspected ISIS sleeper cells have allegedly assassinated at least 50 civilians and 135 SDF fighters in Kurdish-held territory, including eastern Deir Ezzor, rural al-Hasakeh, al-Raqa and Manbij since August.
