ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian security forces on Wednesday arrested a senior official of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the southern province of Rif Dimashq in a joint operation with the global coalition against the group, according to the interior ministry.
The ministry cited the head of the local security forces in Rif Dimashq, Ahmed al-Dalati, in an overnight statement as saying that his forces, Syrian intelligence and the US-led global coalition “carried out a precise security operation targeting a hideout of the ISIS terrorist organization in the town of Moadamiya in Rif Dimashq province, following thorough surveillance and intense intelligence monitoring.”
Dalati added that the operation resulted in the arrest of the head of ISIS leader in Damascus Taha al-Zoubi - also known as Abu Omar Tabea - and several of his aides.
“A suicide belt and military weapon were found in his possession. This operation represents a major blow to the organization and confirms the high readiness of our security agencies in confronting any threat to the security of the governorate and its surroundings,” he added.
The coalition has yet to comment on the raid.
Syria officially joined the multi-nation coalition in November following a landmark meeting between US President Doland Trump and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, the first such encounter with a Syrian president in more than eight decades.