On Sunday, U.S. forces captured ISIS leader Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, who had previously assisted members of the terrorist organization in escaping from a detention facility in Syria. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Al-Dandal was apprehended in coordination with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) just days after five foreign ISIS terrorists broke out from the Raqqah Detention Facility.
The SDF managed to recapture two of the escapees: Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan from Russia and Muhammad Noh Muhammad from Libya. However, three others remain at large: Russian national Timor Talbrken Abdash, and Afghans Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar. Al-Dandal is believed to have been the key “facilitator” behind their escape.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention. If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond. We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication.”
CENTCOM highlighted that one of ISIS’s main goals is to free its fighters from detention to fuel a resurgence. Last week, the U.S. military, in coordination with Iraqi Security Forces, conducted a raid targeting ISIS terrorists in Western Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of at least 15 ISIS members, according to the Associated Press.
