Laith Al-jnaidi and Rania Abushamala
09 August 2026•Update: 09 August 2026
Syrian security forces busted a nine-member cell of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group in the southern province of Quneitra on Sunday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry’s Internal Security Forces said that the operation was conducted in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service in the city of Khan Arnabah.
The ministry said the cell’s leader, Musab Khalil al-Sheikh, also known as Al-Sini, was among those arrested.
According to the ministry, al-Sheikh had previously operated within the terrorist group’s ranks in Damascus, its countryside, the Syrian desert and villages across the southern Hauran region.
The ministry said he had also worked with a group led by Abu Abdulrahman al-Iraqi, an ISIS leader who was killed in the southern province of Daraa in 2022.
Preliminary investigations showed the cell had carried out field and logistical tasks for the terrorist group, including “collecting weapons and transporting explosive devices and their components,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the cell also conducted activities aimed at supporting the group’s movements in the region.
It said all nine suspects had been referred to the relevant judicial authorities for further investigation and legal proceedings.
In November 2025, Damascus joined the US-led international coalition against ISIS. Established in 2014, the coalition has conducted operations against the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.
