Syria arrests senior ISIS leader in Damascus countryside

Interior Ministry says raid carried out with anti-ISIS international coalition, resulted in seizure of explosives and weapons

Syrian security forces arrested a senior ISIS (Daesh) leader in the Damascus countryside in an operation conducted in coordination with an international coalition against the terrorist group, the Interior Ministry said late Wednesday. Specialized units, working with the General Intelligence Directorate and coalition forces, carried out a tightly coordinated raid on an ISIS hideout in the city of Moadamiyah following intensive surveillance and intelligence tracking, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said, citing Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, the head of internal security in the Damascus countryside. The operation led to the arrest of Taha al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya, along with several of his aides. Security forces also seized a suicide vest and military-grade weapons, Dalati said. He described the arrest as “a major blow” to the terror group, saying it demonstrated the readiness of Syria’s security agencies to confront any threat to the capital and its surroundings. The security official warned that anyone who joins or assists ISIS will be pursued and held accountable, saying there will be no safe haven for terrorism in Syria. On Sunday, the Interior Ministry said that it had dismantled an ISIS cell in the town of Daraya, also near Damascus, and arrested seven members. Syria formally joined the US-led international coalition against ISIS on Nov. 12, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Damascus. The coalition was formed in 2014 and has conducted military operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, though Damascus was not previously a member.