Two Syrian security officers killed in raid on ISIL cell near Damascus
Two Syrian security officers were killed and five wounded in clashes with a suspected ISIL cell during a raid on the outskirts of Damascus, the Interior Ministry reported.
The fighting began on Thursday morning when security forces launched an operation against the cell in the town of Rankous in the western Damascus countryside. The operation is the latest in a series of raids as the Syrian government tries to dismantle ISIL networks and prevent attacks.
The ministry said the suspects refused to surrender and opened fire, triggering the clashes. Five alleged ISIL members were killed and six arrested, and weapons and explosive belts were seized.
The clashes began around 6am (03:00 GMT) and lasted two to three hours. Some of the wounded security personnel were seriously hurt.
Resident accounts
Residents reported the group was about nine people – smaller than what officials reported – with two members killed, another two escaping, and an unknown number injured. Security forces imposed a curfew and arrested several people during the operation.
Recent operations
The ministry also reportedly foiled an ISIL plot in the Damascus countryside and dismantled an ISIL cell in the Houla area of Homs earlier this month. On October 6, authorities arrested Khaled Raed Birouni, also known as Abu Hassan Dushka, whom they accuse of planning several attacks including a December 2025 mosque bombing that killed eight people.
Syria joined the 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.
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