Syrian Interior Ministry Launches Widespread Raids and Arrest Campaign Against the Islamic State
The Syrian Interior Ministry’s spokesperson, Nour al-Din al-Baba, said the ministry’s campaign against Islamic State (IS) cells involved 61 raids across several provinces and led to the arrest of 71 operatives. Those detained included leaders at different levels as well as lower-ranking members suspected of carrying out attacks on civilians and Defense Ministry personnel.
Al-Baba told The Media Line that the operation also resulted in one IS member being killed and a security officer wounded. He added that forces seized weapons, ammunition stockpiles, and several sites used as logistical hubs in multiple locations.
The raids were carried out in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zour, Raqqa, Damascus and its surrounding areas, as well as the Syrian Badia. The ministry said the operation was coordinated with the General Intelligence Directorate and was designed to prevent IS from regrouping or preparing additional attacks.
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Al-Baba said intelligence indicated that IS was preparing attacks on government institutions and public figures, while also threatening various segments of Syrian society. He noted that these findings emerged as political efforts continued toward joining the international coalition fighting the group.
The spokesperson noted that the church bombing in the Dweila neighborhood in Damascus last June was the peak of the organization’s activity inside Syria, but security forces were able, in less than 24 hours, to arrest the main suspect, Abdul Ilah al-Jumaili, known as “Abu Imad al-Jumaili,” who held the position of “wali of the desert” in the organization. Security forces also dismantled the “suicide battalion” in Aleppo, which significantly reduced the group’s activity.
The spokesperson added that the most pressing danger now is the group’s attempt to recruit young people and rebuild its networks. He emphasized that combating extremism requires not only security operations but also stronger educational, political, and economic efforts to provide a first line of defense.
These developments coincide with Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Nov. 10 visit to Washington, where he is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump and finalize Syria’s agreement to join the international coalition against the Islamic State group.
American research organizations, including the Middle East Institute in Washington, have reported growing operational cooperation between the Syrian government and coalition forces in recent months. The coordination has involved intelligence sharing, a decline in coalition airstrikes in return for a larger role for Syrian counterterrorism units on the ground, and joint efforts related to the al-Hol camp and military coordination along the Badia front.
The report also noted a joint operation on Oct. 18 in the city of al-Dumayr, in the Damascus countryside, conducted by coalition forces alongside Syrian security units. It was the fifth coordinated mission of its kind in recent months.
