Syria’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Hamza Abdullah Muhammad, known as “Abu Jihad al-Muhajir,” whom it identified as a senior military commander in the Islamic State group, ISIS.
The ministry said on its official channels that Internal Security Forces and the General Intelligence Service, working with international partners, arrested Abu Jihad al-Muhajir in what it described as a “precise” security operation in the countryside of Manbij (Aleppo governorate, northern Syria).
According to a ministry statement published on Tuesday, August 18, the arrested man served as the general military commander of the group’s so-called “al-Sham Province.”
Abu Jihad al-Muhajir had previously served as the group’s deputy general military commander under the alias “al-Harithi,” and before that was responsible for the group’s “Idlib Province” under the same alias, according to the statement.
The ministry said the operation was part of continuing security efforts to pursue ISIS cells and commanders, dismantle the group’s networks, and prevent attempts to reorganize its ranks and threaten the security of citizens and stability in Syria.
Security Operations Against ISIS Intensify
In recent weeks, Internal Security Forces have dismantled ISIS cells in Deir Ezzor governorate (eastern Syria) and Aleppo governorate.
The Syrian Interior Ministry announced the dismantling of an ISIS cell in Deir Ezzor following a security operation carried out by Internal Security Forces in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service. The operation resulted in the arrest of the cell’s leader and several of its members.
The ministry said on August 1 that the operation was based on precise intelligence, adding that members of the cell opened fire on the security force raiding their positions and refused to surrender.
It added that the cell’s leader, identified as Abdul Fattah, attempted to throw a hand grenade in his possession, but security personnel subdued him before he could do so. A child who was inside the house was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to the ministry, the operation also resulted in the killing of a man named Atallah, whom it described as responsible for assassinations in the area, before he could detonate an explosive belt he was wearing. Security forces also arrested Haider Jadaan al-Jassem and seized weapons, ammunition, and explosive belts in the cell members’ possession.
Preliminary investigations showed, according to the statement, that the cell was behind several attacks in the al-Baghuz and al-Shaafa areas in the countryside of al-Bukamal (Deir Ezzor governorate, eastern Syria). These included the assassination of a member of Diplomatic Security during Eid al-Adha, planting an explosive device inside a shop that killed a security member, and targeting an Internal Security vehicle with an explosive device.
The Interior Ministry also announced on July 28 that it had arrested two ISIS cells in Aleppo governorate.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said in a video interview published by the Aleppo Media Directorate that security forces arrested two cells comprising seven people in Aleppo city and its countryside, operating within what ISIS calls its “Aleppo Province.”
According to al-Baba, the cells operated in al-Bab city and al-Rai town (Aleppo governorate, northern Syria), where they carried out attacks targeting personnel affiliated with the Interior and Defense ministries, in addition to attempting to target government buildings and vehicles.
The Interior Ministry also thwarted what it described as a “terrorist” operation during the arrests, according to al-Baba. Investigations also indicated the existence of a weapons depot used by ISIS cells.
The depot contained raw materials used to manufacture explosives, explosive devices, vests prepared for detonation, automatic firearms, and pistols fitted with silencers.
Separately, the Syrian government accused ISIS of carrying out bombings in Damascus, including a prominent attack that coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital on July 7.
The Interior Ministry has been conducting campaigns against ISIS members in several areas of Syria in an attempt to curb the group’s operations, which have intensified recently.