Syria’s Interior Ministry has announced that security forces dismantled multiple Daesh terrorist cells operating in the Damascus countryside over the weekend.
Hussam al Tahan, the internal security chief for the region, said the cells were rounded up on Sunday and that weapons, explosives, and suicide vests were seized thanks to “accurate intelligence.”
Al Tahan on Monday identified the suspects as active in Western Ghouta neighborhoods including Al Kiswah, Deir Khabyah, Al Maqiliba, and Zakiyah.
He warned that the group had been “planning to use these weapons and explosives to destabilise the region,” underscoring the ongoing threat posed by remnant Daesh networks even after the fall of the former regime.
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stresses the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and ensuring the country is governed by a single, unified authority.
Crackdown continues under transitional government
Since last December’s ouster of long-time regime leader Bashar al Assad and his exile to Russia, Syrian security forces have intensified operations against both former regime loyalists and militants.
In January, Ahmed al Sharaa was appointed interim president, and his government has made counter-terrorism a top priority.
Sunday’s operation marks the latest in a series of coordinated raids across southwestern Syria.
Officials say these efforts, driven by sharp improvements in intelligence-gathering, have thwarted several planned attacks and helped stabilise areas long plagued by violence.
Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli says that the recent US and EU moves to lift sanctions on Syria are encouraging.
