Syrian forces break up major ISIS cell in Latakia

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syrian security forces in Latakia province dismantled what authorities described as one of the most dangerous cells linked to ISIS, arresting its members during a raid in the northern countryside, officials said.

Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Hilal al-Ahmad, head of the Internal Security Forces in Latakia, said in a statement that the operation followed several days of surveillance. Special units, working with the General Intelligence Directorate, raided the group’s hideout in the Badrousiyah area, where the cell was allegedly preparing attacks along the Syrian coast.

He said a firefight broke out during the raid, with two members of the cell killed after refusing to surrender and the rest detained. Security forces seized weapons and ammunition, while an intelligence officer was seriously wounded.

Latakia province has witnessed a series of recent operations targeting sleeper cells attempting to reestablish activity in rural districts. Security agencies have reported multiple seizures of weapons and explosives and say several planned attacks on civilian and military sites have been disrupted.

At its height, ISIS controlled roughly one-third of Syria and large parts of neighbouring Iraq. By December 2017, the group had lost about 95 % of its held territory.In Syria specifically, the group’s last major territorial stronghold, the town of Baghuz on the Euphrates, fell in March 2019, marking the collapse of its declared “caliphate”.