Al-Raqa residents recall ISIS horrors as Kurdish-led forces conduct purge

From his rooftop in the Syrian city of al-Raqa, Youssef Nasser watches nervously as hundreds of heavily armed Kurdish-led fighters sweep the streets of what was once the de facto capital of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

The fighters are on guard against another guerrilla-style ambush after six of their comrades were killed in an ISIS attack in December on a local security complex that aimed to free hundreds of fellow extremists from a prison there.

On December 11, three members of the Asayesh (Kurdish internal security forces) were injured when an ISIS element blew himself up with a grenade as they stormed a house in al-Raqa.

The same day, US forces killed two ISIS "officials" during a "successful helicopter raid" in eastern Syria in the pre-dawn hours.

The al-Raqa incidents come as Kurdish forces work to purge ISIS elements from al-Hol camp in neighbouring al-Hasakeh province in an effort to improve security.

As Kurdish fighters go house to house in al-Raqa, and their blaring loudspeakers warn people to stay put, 67-year-old Nasser said he hopes for "stability and security" in his home city, which is still recovering from the horrors of ISIS rule.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with support from the United States, in 2017 routed ISIS from al-Raqa, where it had sought to spread its reign of terror, perpetrating mass executions, including decapitations and other crimes.

For traumatised residents of the former ISIS heartland in Syria, the recent attacks and security sweep have heightened fears of an extremist resurgence, though analysts have said the ISIS "brand" has struggled to remain relevant.

"If ISIS returns, it will be a disaster," Nasser said. "It's normal to be afraid for your family, your children, your friends."

Constant worries

The Kurdish-led fighters patrolled the streets of al-Raqa on foot and in trucks and armoured vehicles in the operation that began last week, under the gaze of worried parents and fearful children.

Before its 2019 military defeat, ISIS's once sprawling, self-proclaimed "caliphate" incorporated swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory, but the group has not held fixed positions since then.

Instead, it has launched sporadic attacks on Syrian regime and Kurdish-led forces in the north and east, and strikes on Iraqi troops and their allies across the border.

Authorities in al-Raqa declared a lockdown and a state of emergency after the security complex assault, and set up checkpoints at the entrances to the city.

Residents said they were fearful of an ISIS resurgence.

"I'm worried every time my children leave the house," said Faiza Hassan, 45, after police searched her house. "The situation at the moment is very difficult."

Umm Mohammed, 60, said the mere sight of armed men scared her, as she held a cigarette in her trembling hand.

"Look how my hands are shaking," she said. "I'm scared," she repeated several times, as children gathered around her.

'Plan to create chaos'

Brig. Gen. Ali Hassan of the Kurdish police said about 150 suspected extremists, some of them high-level officials, had so far been arrested in the sweep.

An earlier operation, the eight-day Kurdish and international coalition-backed "Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt", which concluded January 6, sought to crush the ISIS presence in the Iraq-Syria border area.

Hassan said ISIS had "switched up its strategy, moving away from individual attacks to launch collective assaults", targeting detention centres holding its members.

The recent al-Raqa attack was the most significant extremist assault since ISIS fighters in January 2022 attacked Ghwayran prison in the Kurdish-controlled city of al-Hasakeh, in what was their biggest offensive in years.

Hundreds were killed in the week-long assault that sought to free jailed ISIS elements.

Hassan said the group was trying to "rebuild itself with these operations".

"It seems there is a big plan to take over prisons and create chaos," he said, adding that the sweep aimed to prevent such a scenario.

But some residents fear the efforts are not enough to stop ISIS.

"No matter how many security campaigns they launch, they won't be able to confiscate all their weapons," said 30-year-old Ahmed Hamad.

He said the region, which was barely getting back on its feet after years of war, has very limited financial means to fight back against ISIS remnants.

The local prison, overcrowded with extremists, was a big source of concern for Hamad, who lives close by.

"We are afraid of everything because we have nothing," he said.