ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian security forces have arrested more than 70 individuals in a large-scale crackdown on Islamic State (ISIS) cells across several provinces, the Syrian interior ministry announced Saturday. The operation, expected to continue for several days, began just two days before Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The operation included “61 raids and 71 arrests in various Syrian provinces, targeting ammunition and weapons depots as well as dens containing explosives belonging to the organization,” said Nour al-Din al-Baba, spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry, as cited by the state-run al-Ikhbariya channel.
Significant achievements so far include the capture of senior ISIS leader Abd al-Ilah al-Jumaili, known as Abu Imad al-Jumaili - a development Baba described as a “strong blow” that will limit the group’s field activity - along with the arrest of “a suicide cell” in northern Aleppo province.
Underscoring the “preemptive” nature of the campaign, the ministry’s spokesperson said ISIS cells were involved in serious crimes, including the assassination of a citizen in the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in northwest Syria, the targeting of a money exchanger, and multiple acts of kidnapping and murder.
These plots, he added, aimed to target government figures and various Syrian communities in an effort to “disrupt civil peace and foster fear.”
Earlier in the day, the interior ministry said in a post on X that it had “launched a large-scale security operation in several provinces to pursue cells of the ISIS terrorist organization,” adding that the operation is being conducted “in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service” and is “based on accurate intelligence gathered through systematic monitoring and tracking of suspicious movements.”
The ministry stated that the campaign, “which falls within the framework of continuous efforts to combat terrorism and counter plots aimed at undermining security,” targets “ISIS hideouts in several areas” and involves “pursuing hidden members” of the extremist group. The operation “will continue for several consecutive days.”
According to the statement, the operation has so far “resulted in the dismantling of several terrorist cells, the arrest of numerous wanted individuals, and the seizure of materials and evidence linking them to terrorist activities.” The ministry added that the campaign reaffirms the firm commitment of Syrian security authorities “to protecting the nation’s security and stability.”
In a series of posts on X, the ministry also shared photos purporting to show raids carried out across the provinces of Aleppo, as well as in the northwestern Idlib, central Homs, and southwestern Rif Dimashq provinces.
Importantly, the large-scale security campaign comes just two days before Syrian interim President Sharaa is scheduled to be hosted by US President Trump at the White House on Monday, amid reports that he will sign an agreement to join the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The visit will mark “the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House in 80 years,” according to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. In a speech last week, Shaibani added the visit would help open a “new chapter” in relations between Damascus and Washington and would include discussions “beginning with the lifting of sanctions.”
Sharaa’s visit also comes just days after the lifting of sanctions against him by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the United States and the United Kingdom, with the European Union expected to follow suit.
Washington and London have likewise lifted sanctions on Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab, according to statements on their official websites. Sharaa and Khattab had previously been subject to financial sanctions over alleged links to ISIS and al-Qaeda.