Syria Says Daesh-Linked Cell Caught After Shooting Attack in Northwest
In a statement issued Tuesday, Syria’s Interior Ministry declared that government forces had dismantled a terrorist cell linked to Daesh (ISIS), believed responsible for a deadly attack in the country’s northwest last week. According to the ministry, security operations resulted in the arrest of eight cell members and the death of its leader.
The targeted cell is accused of carrying out the shooting attack this past Sunday on the Maaret Al-Numan road in Idlib province, which killed four Syrian security personnel—an attack Daesh quickly claimed responsibility for. Officials stated that during interrogations, those arrested confessed to carrying out three separate terrorist operations, including the assault on the road patrol.
Authorities reported seizing weapons and explosive belts during the operation, underscoring the group’s prepared capacity for further violence.
A Broader Backdrop of Instability
This announcement comes amid continued instability in parts of Syria, even after more than thirteen years of civil war. Idlib province, long a bastion for various rebel and extremist factions, remains a complex security challenge despite the overthrow of former ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year.
The reported crackdown also follows closely on the heels of another significant attack. Just one day before the Idlib shooting, an assault on a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra in central Syria killed two American soldiers and a translator. While no group has claimed that attack, both Washington and Damascus have pointed to Daesh.
In response, Syrian authorities announced a coordinated operation with the U.S.-led coalition on Sunday, targeting suspected Daesh “sleeper cells” in the vast desert regions where the group maintains a lingering presence.
The Persistent Threat
Though Daesh lost its final sliver of territorial control in Syria in 2019, the group has persisted through insurgent-style attacks, ambushes, and bombings, particularly in the country’s sprawling desert and in less-governed areas like parts of Idlib. The U.S.-led coalition continues periodic strikes in the region, often stating it is targeting senior Daesh operatives.
For Syria’s new government, which is attempting to assert control and stabilize the nation, operations like the one announced Tuesday are presented as evidence of their commitment to security. Yet, the consecutive attacks in Palmyra and Idlib highlight the fragile and ongoing nature of the threat posed by entrenched extremist networks.
The dismantling of this cell is framed by authorities as a decisive victory. However, it also serves as a stark reminder that the war’s end has not yet meant peace, and that the shadow of Daesh still looms over Syria’s difficult path toward recovery.
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