The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that four members of the Road Security Administration were killed and another was injured in an attack targeting one of its patrols in Idlib province, northwestern Syria.

The ministry said the patrol came under attack, without naming those responsible, on the road to Maarrat al-Numan in southern Idlib, on Sunday, 4 December.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Idlib reported that unknown assailants targeted a security patrol near the city’s southern bridge, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Specialized security units are carrying out intensive sweep operations in the area to pursue those involved in the attack, according to the Interior Ministry.

Enab Baladi obtained the names of those killed and photos of their bodies, but apologizes for not publishing them.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack by the time this report was written.

Previous Islamic State operations

The Islamic State group previously claimed responsibility on 9 December for killing a judicial official by detonating a sticky bomb attached to his car in Deir Hassan (northern Idlib countryside).

On 3 December, two members of the customs police were killed after their patrol was ambushed by the Islamic State group, according to the General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs. The patrol had been escorting a transit truck in the al-Zarba area (southern Aleppo countryside).

For its part, the Interior Ministry announced in early December that it carried out two security operations in Idlib province targeting Islamic State cells.

The commander of Internal Security in Idlib province, Brigadier General Ghassan Bakir, said in a statement published by the ministry that the operation was conducted in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service. Security forces raided sites suspected of being used as points by the group’s cells, as part of an ongoing campaign to track the group’s activity in Idlib countryside.

The two operations, carried out in the Dana area (near the Syrian Turkish border in northern Idlib) and west of Idlib city, resulted in the seizure of individual weapons and ammunition, as well as suicide vests and explosive devices ready for use.

During the raids, two individuals were killed after “refusing to surrender,” according to Bakir, while the remaining cell members were arrested. Initial investigations also revealed the involvement of some detainees in killing a civilian and burying him near Maarrat Misrin (north of Idlib city) in the past period.

Those detained were referred to the competent authorities to continue the investigation ahead of presenting them to the judiciary, as the security campaign continues, which the Interior Ministry says aims to “dry up the group’s sources” and curb its activity in areas under its control.

Syrian Interior Ministry announces targeting Islamic State cells in Idlib