DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian authorities said on Thursday they had arrested a senior leader of the Islamic State (IS) group and killed another in separate security operations near Damascus, carried out in coordination with the US-led international coalition.
The Interior Ministry said specialised security units, working with the General Intelligence Directorate and coalition forces, conducted a “precise security operation” on Wednesday in the town of Moadamiyah, in the Damascus countryside.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, said the raid followed intensive surveillance and intelligence tracking of an IS cell.
The operation led to the arrest of Taha al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya, whom Syrian officials identified as IS’s so-called governor, or wali, for Damascus. Several of his aides were also detained, the ministry said.
Security forces seized explosive vests and military-grade weapons during the raid, Dalati told SANA.
Syrian state television Al-Ikhbariyah reported that some of those arrested were wearing explosive vests at the time of capture.
Dalati described the arrest as a “major blow” to IS and said it demonstrated the readiness of Syria’s security agencies to counter threats to the capital and its surroundings.
He warned that anyone assisting the group would be pursued and held accountable.
In a separate operation, the Interior Ministry said security forces killed another senior IS figure, Mohammed Shahada, also known as Abu Omar Shaddad, during a raid in the town of al-Buwayda, also in the Damascus countryside.
“The operation resulted in neutralising the terrorist Mohammad Shahada, who is considered one of the prominent IS leaders in Syria,” the ministry said, adding that the raid was conducted in coordination with the international coalition.
The ministry said the two operations underscored the effectiveness of cooperation between Syrian security agencies and international partners in combating the group.
Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry said it had dismantled an IS cell in the town of Daraya, near Damascus, arresting seven members.
Syria formally joined the US-led coalition against IS in November, according to statements by Syrian officials and the US Embassy in Damascus.
The coalition was formed in 2014 to combat IS in Syria and Iraq.
The latest operations come after a December 13 attack in Syria’s Palmyra region that killed two US soldiers and an American civilian.
Washington blamed the attack on a lone IS gunman and carried out retaliatory strikes on multiple IS targets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those strikes killed five IS members.
Despite its defeat in 2019, IS has continued to carry out attacks in parts of Syria, particularly in desert regions and areas affected by prolonged conflict.
