Raqqa Internal Security Forces
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The Raqqa Internal Security Forces (RISF) ( ar, قوات الأمن الداخلي في الرقة, Quwwāt al-ʾAmn ad-Dāḵilī fi'r-Raqqah) are a
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
unit that was formed in 2017 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, to handle the security in southern
Raqqa Governorate Raqqa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة الرقة, Muḥāfaẓat ar-Raqqah) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in the north of the country and covers an area of 19,618 km2. The capital is Raqqa. The Islamic State ...
, including
Raqqa Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, ...
city, after the region's conquest from the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
. The
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
provide the majority of funding for the force and consider it to be part of the Syrian opposition. The RISF also have their own Quick Reaction Force.


History

On 17 May 2017, the Raqqa Internal Security Forces (RISF) were established as new police unit, with the first training course being set up in
Ayn Issa Ayn Issa ( ar, عين عيسى, also spelled Ain Issa. Meaning ''Spring of Jesus'') is a town in the Tell Abyad District of Raqqa Governorate in Syria. It is located halfway between the Syria–Turkey border town of Tell Abyad and the regional cap ...
. The first 50 recruits were all Arab men and women, some of them former members of the Asayish, and trained by U.S. and Jordanian instructors "on how to conduct patrols, diffuse disputes, deal with car bombs and suicide bombers, and how to man a checkpoint". After the graduation of this first batch of police officers, the unit was gradually expanded, also recruiting
Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...
; the long-term goal for the unit is to have at least 3,000 members in order to enforce law and order in Raqqa and restore stability. The RISF further expanded on 20 July, as 250 more recruits finished their training; by this point, the unit had around 800 members and was already policing various areas in the Raqqa Governorate. By early August, 230 additional recruits graduated and joined the force, bringing it to around 850 members. Further 320 recruits completed their training in August. By 16 August, the RISF was around 80% Arab and 20% Kurdish according to CJTF–OIR. RISF also began to release ISIL members from prison who had only worked with, and not fought for, the organization. These pardons were facilitated by the Raqqa Civil Council, which wanted to gain the support of Raqqa Governorate's population, much of which had cooperated with or at least tolerated ISIL. After the end of the Battle of Raqqa in October 2017, the SDF gradually began to hand over security responsibilities in the city to the RISF, beginning with the al-Mashleb neighborhood in November. By December 2017, the Raqqa Internal Security Forces had also begun policing Ayn Issa and surrounding areas. In May 2018, tensions built up between members of Arab tribes, most notably the SDF group
Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa ( ar, لواء ثوار الرقة, Liwā' Thūwwār ar-Raqqah, lit=Raqqa Revolutionaries' Brigade, links=no) was a rebel group in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in September 2012 in the Raqqa Governorate. Aligned with ...
, and the rest of the alliance and the RISF over recruitment issues in Raqqa. A curfew was put in place in both Raqqa city and the rest of the governorate on 23 June, as the SDF and RISF besieged Thuwar al-Raqqa's headquarters and arrested between 90 and 200 of its members the next day. By 25 June, the SDF and RISF had captured all of Thuwar al-Raqqa fighters and their weapons in Raqqa, completely defeating the group, and the curfew was ended.


Gallery

Image:Members of the Raqqa Internal Security Forces 2.png, RISF recruits after the completion of their training Image:Members of the Raqqa Internal Security Forces 3.png, RISF policewomen Image:Idris Muhammad (RISF spokesman).png, Idris Muhammad, spokesman of the RISF Image:Risf.jpg, An RISF policeman providing security atop the Raqqa Civil Council building, 18 August 2018


References

{{Syrian Civil War Syrian Democratic Forces Law enforcement in Syria Organizations based in Syria