Syria dismantles IS cell amid recent security escalation

DAMASCUS, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Syrian security forces have dismantled an Islamic State (IS) cell responsible for a series of deadly attacks on security and military patrols in the country's northwest, the interior authorities said on Tuesday, amid a recent uptick in security incidents across the country.

In a statement, the authorities said the Internal Security Command in Idlib province, working in coordination with the Counterterrorism Department of the General Intelligence Service, carried out a "precise security operation" that led to the arrest of an IS-affiliated cell involved in multiple terrorist attacks in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.

The operation followed intensified investigations after a recent attack on a highway patrol in the city of Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib, which killed several members of the Internal Security Forces. According to the authorities, security units gathered detailed field intelligence that enabled them to identify the vehicle used by the perpetrators.

Through surveillance and tracking, security forces arrested three suspects and killed another during the initial phase of the operation. During interrogations, the detainees confessed that four additional individuals were involved in carrying out the attacks, the statement said.

Based on the information obtained, security units launched a second operation that resulted in the arrest of the remaining suspects, bringing the total number of detainees to eight.

The authorities said the suspects admitted responsibility for three terrorist attacks, including the assault on the highway patrol in Maaret al-Numan, an attack on defense authorities personnel at the Saraqib bridge in Idlib countryside, and an armed attack targeting customs officers in the town of al-Zerba in Aleppo countryside.

During the operations, security forces seized explosive belts, silencers, missiles, and M4 automatic rifles, which were prepared for use in further attacks aimed at destabilizing security and public safety, the interior authorities added.

The arrests come amid a recent wave of security incidents in several parts of Syria, including armed attacks on security patrols in Idlib and Aleppo provinces and the deadly shooting near Palmyra earlier this month, underscoring ongoing challenges posed by IS sleeper cells despite the group's territorial defeat.

The interior authorities reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing terrorist cells, securing roads and public facilities, and protecting civilians, stressing that all suspects would be referred to the competent judiciary to face legal proceedings.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly warned that remnants of extremist groups continue to exploit security gaps and remote areas to carry out sporadic attacks, while vowing to intensify counterterrorism operations nationwide. ■