Security Forces in Northern Syria Arrest ISIS Cell in Idlib Countryside

Security units in northern Syria arrested members of an Islamic State (ISIS) cell operating in the Idlib countryside during a coordinated counter-terrorism operation on Monday, according to Captain Ammar Khaled Al-Yassin, the Director of the Security Directorate in Sarmada. The operation was part of ongoing efforts by local authorities to dismantle ISIS-affiliated networks in the region.

“After intensive monitoring and follow-up, our units were able to arrest a security cell affiliated with ISIS in the Killi area,” Al-Yassin said. The arrest was made following a series of ambushes and raids on the cell’s hideouts, where security forces seized light weapons and silencers prepared for use in assassinations.

During initial investigations, the detained cell members admitted to carrying out several attacks in northwestern Syria. These included an assault on the Burj Al-Nimra checkpoint in Sarmada and a failed assassination attempt on a local individual and his family, identified as (A.D.), in the village of Bir Kaftin. The suspects also confessed to plotting further attacks on the headquarters of local fighters in the area, Al-Yassin told Sham News Agency (SNA).

This operation marks another success in an ongoing campaign by the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), which administers the area, to eliminate ISIS activity in its territory. On August 25, another ISIS cell was neutralized in the northern Idlib countryside following a violent clash with security forces in the town of Termanin. In that incident, a special General Security Services (GSS) unit uncovered the cell after weeks of surveillance. The confrontation resulted in the death of the cell leader, known as Abdul Qader, and one member of the security forces.

The resurgence of ISIS cells in Syria’s northwest has raised concerns about ongoing security threats in liberated areas. Despite the group’s territorial defeat, ISIS-affiliated cells continue to operate covertly, conducting attacks and attempting to destabilize the region. Authorities remain vigilant in monitoring these networks, which have proven capable of carrying out assassinations and bombings.

The successful operations by local security forces demonstrate their commitment to maintaining stability in greater Idlib, where sporadic ISIS activity has threatened both civilians and anti-Assad revolutionary factions. The northern Idlib region remains under SSG administration, which has been leading efforts to purge remnants of ISIS cells while also managing a population of displaced Syrians.