DAMASCUS (MNN); Syrian authorities have announced that security forces carried out a second counterterrorism operation near Damascus, killing a senior ISIL commander identified as the group’s so-called governor of Hauran.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Interior said the operation resulted in the killing of Mohammed Shahadeh, also known as Abu Omar Shaddad, describing him as one of ISIL’s top leaders in Syria and a serious threat to local security.
Officials said the raid was launched on the basis of confirmed intelligence and extensive surveillance. Specialised security units conducted a targeted operation in the town of al-Buweida near Qatana, southwest of the Syrian capital.
The ministry added that the operation was carried out with the involvement of the General Intelligence Directorate and in coordination with international coalition forces.
The announcement came a day after Syrian internal security forces arrested another senior ISIL member in a separate operation near Damascus. According to the state-run SANA news agency, Taha al-Zoubi was detained during what was described as a tightly planned security raid in the Damascus countryside.
SANA reported that security personnel recovered a suicide vest and a military weapon during the arrest. Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, said the operation targeted an ISIL hideout in Maadamiya, southwest of the capital.
ISIL, which rejects the legitimacy of the current authorities in Damascus, has largely concentrated its remaining activities against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.
At its peak, the group controlled large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, with Raqqa declared as its capital. Although ISIL was militarily defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, its sleeper cells continue to carry out attacks in the region and in other parts of the world, including Africa and Afghanistan.
