In a significant operation on September 1, 2024, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, in partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), successfully captured Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, a key ISIS leader. Al-Dandal is believed to have played a crucial role in aiding ISIS fighters, including those who recently escaped from a Raqqah detention facility in Syria.
The capture of al-Dandal comes just days after a major security breach on August 29, when five ISIS detainees, including two Russians, two Afghans, and one Libyan, escaped from the Raqqah Detention Facility. While SDF forces have already recaptured two of the escapees—Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan (Russian) and Muhammad Noh Muhammad (Libyan)—the search continues for the remaining three fugitives: Timor Talbrken Abdash (Russian), Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli, and Atal Khaled Zar (both Afghans).
ISIS’s ongoing objective to free its detained fighters remains a critical threat to regional stability, with over 9,000 ISIS detainees currently held in more than 20 SDF detention facilities across Syria. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla emphasized the potential danger posed by these detainees if a large-scale escape were to occur, likening the detainees to a “literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention.”
