Damascus – U.S. special forces carried out an airborne raid targeting a member of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Damascus countryside, American sources said on Saturday.
Charles Lister, director at the Middle East Institute, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the operation took place in the town of Al-Dumayr, east of the Syrian capital. He said the mission was conducted in coordination with counterterrorism forces of the Interior Ministry under Syria’s interim government and aimed to capture Ahmad Abdullah al-Badri, identified as an ISIS operative.
Lister noted that this marks the fifth joint operation between U.S. forces and Syrian security units since July.
U.S. envoy to Syria Thomas Barrak commented on the operation via X, saying that “Syria is back to our side.”
Meanwhile, the interim Government’s Interior Ministry announced that its special security units, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate and Internal Security Command in Rural Damascus, dismantled an ISIS cell active in the northern countryside of the capital.
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The ministry said the operation resulted in the arrest of one member, while two others were killed in a firefight. One attempted to detonate an explosive belt before being neutralized. Weapons, ammunition, and an explosive vest were seized at the site.
Authorities said the raid reflects the government’s proactive approach to combating terrorism and “high readiness to protect national security.”
In August, the ministry announced the arrest of a nine-member ISIS cell in the Idlib countryside, following a similar coordinated operation with U.S. support.
