ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held an “expanded meeting” on Wednesday to discuss plans to confront the Islamic State (ISIS) in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, amid continued attacks by the jihadists on security forces. 

In a statement, the SDF said its Deir ez-Zor Military Council met to “assess the current security situation in the region and discuss mechanisms for improving combat readiness. They also developed new plans to enhance coordination between the military councils and field units to counter ISIS cells.” 

ISIS has carried out increasing attacks and taken advantage of the deteriorating security situation in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. The attacks have mainly targeted Kurdish-led forces in Deir ez-Zor, with the area’s desert terrain providing a suitable environment for jihadist cells. 

Following the meeting, measures were taken to establish new training initiatives and intelligence mechanisms to strengthen cooperation between the Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) and enhance the efficiency of fighters, according to the statement. 

“The Deir ez-Zor Military Council affirmed that combating the ISIS terrorist organization and maintaining security and stability in the region remains a top priority for its forces,” it asserted. 

ISIS took control of swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014, declaring its so-called caliphate with the Iraqi city of Mosul as its capital. They were territorially defeated with assistance from the US-led coalition forces in Syria in 2019.

The US-backed SDF functions as the de facto army of Rojava and currently controls one-third of the country’s overall territory.