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In Afrin, the International Coalition has targeted ISIS leader Saad al-Hajji in Deir ez-Zor.
In Afrin, the International Coalition has targeted ISIS leader Saad al-Hajji in Deir ez-Zor.
His death is a significant blow to ISIS and highlights the close cooperation between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the International Coalition.
Reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that Saad al-Hajji, one of the ISIS leaders from the countryside of Aleppo, was killed during a security operation conducted by the SDF in the village of Suwaydan, with support from International Coalition aircraft.
It was reported that al-Hajji was among a group of 12 escapees who managed to flee from a detention center run by factions allied with Turkey in the Bulbul area of Afrin at the end of March. He was then transferred to areas controlled by the SDF.
During that time, the Turkish-affiliated military police arrested two of the escapees and returned them to custody after discovering the escape, while the others reached SDF-controlled areas.
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According to sources, al-Hajji was monitored for several days before the security operation that led to his death, while the fate of nine other escapees remains unknown in northern and eastern Syria, where they are suspected to belong to active cells carrying out attacks against civilians and military forces.
The observatory previously noted that the 12 escapees, comprising members and leaders of ISIS, managed to flee from a prison in the Bulbul area of Afrin with the help and collusion of Turkish military police. Following the leak of this news, military police arrested two of the fugitives to cover up the escape, while the fate of the others remains unclear. Areas like "Euphrates Shield," "Olive Branch," and "Peace Spring," controlled by Turkish forces, are seen as safe havens for ISIS leaders and members.
