Syriaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Syrian Internal Security Forces Launch Operation Against ISIS Cell in Rankous, Killing Two
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Two Syrian Internal Security Forces killed and five wounded in Rankous operation Operation targeted an ISIS cell in Rankous, western Damascus countryside
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Rankous raid kills two
Syrian Internal Security Forces launched a security operation targeting an ISIS (Daesh) cell in Rankous, in the western Damascus countryside near the capital, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. Two members of Syria’s Internal Security Forces were killed and five others injured during clashes in the operation in Rankous town.
The Interior Ministry said the cell members refused to surrender and opened fire on security personnel, triggering clashes. Fighting began on Thursday morning when security forces launched the operation in Rankous, and residents told Heidi Pett that the clashes began around 6am (03:00 GMT) and lasted two to three hours.
Casualties and arrests diverge
The Interior Ministry statement said the operation resulted in the killing of five ISIS members and the arrest of six others, and it said weapons and explosive belts were seized. The ministry reported five alleged ISIL members were killed and six arrested, while residents told Heidi Pett that the group was about nine people, with two members killed, another two escaping, and an unknown number injured.
Al Jazeera said Syria Now reported that security forces imposed a curfew and arrested several people during the operation. The operation was part of ongoing security and intelligence efforts to dismantle ISIS cells, thwart planned attacks and maintain public security.
Broader campaign and stakes
Syria’s Interior Ministry linked the Rankous operation to a wider campaign, and it said the government had sought to restore security and establish state control of weapons after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024.
The Interior Ministry had previously foiled an ISIS plot to target a police patrol in the Damascus countryside during a joint operation by the General Intelligence Service and the Internal Security Forces, which led to the arrest of two people and the seizure of an explosive device prepared for detonation.
The Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Khaled Raed Birouni, also known as Abu Hassan Dushka, on Oct.
Syria joined the 90-member international coalition against ISIL in November, six years after Syrian Kurdish-led forces led the territorial defeat of ISIL strongholds in the country’s northeast.