Damascus, Jul 19 (IANS): The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have launched a "security campaign" against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Deir al-Zour province, a war monitor reported.

The security campaign is ongoing in areas under its control in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, where the forces have set up checkpoints and run patrols, Xinhua news agency quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying on Saturday.

The UK-based watched group said the SDF released some of the protesters it rounded up during protests in areas in northeastern Syria after "beating them".

It said areas controlled by the SDF are in a state of lawlessness and chaos.

Meanwhile, the North Press Agency, a media platform operating in Kurdish-controlled areas, cited the SDF as saying that 24 IS militants were rounded up on Friday as part of the large-scale operation.

The SDF also said they seized large amounts of weapons as part of the operation called "Deterrence of Terrorism" against the IS sleeper cells.