US and Syrian Forces Capture ISIS Leader Linked to Escapees from Detention Facility

The United States, in coordination with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has captured Khaled Ahmed al-Danda, an ISIS leader accused of assisting members of the terror group who escaped from a detention facility in Syria. The capture was confirmed by US Central Command (CENTCOM) in an official statement.

According to CENTCOM, al-Danda was apprehended after he was assessed to have provided support to ISIS fighters following their escape from the Raqqah Detention Facility. This facility houses over 9,000 ISIS detainees, described by Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command, as a “literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention.”

Gen. Kurilla emphasized the severe risk posed by potential escapes of large numbers of these fighters, warning of the extreme danger they represent to the region and beyond. He affirmed the US commitment to working with the international community to repatriate these fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication.

The recent escape incident occurred on August 29, when five ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighter detainees, including two Russians, two Afghans, and one Libyan, managed to flee the Raqqah facility. The SDF has successfully recaptured two of the escapees: Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan (Russian) and Muhammad Noh Muhammad (Libyan). However, three detainees—Timor Talbrken Abdash (Russian) and Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar (both Afghans)—remain at large, according to CENTCOM.

The situation underscores the ongoing challenges in managing ISIS detainees and the critical importance of international cooperation in addressing terrorism.