Syria's Interior Ministry says it has arrested Taha al‑Zoubi, a senior ISIL operative, after a raid on an ISIL hideout in Maadamiya southwest of Damascus. Officials said a suicide belt and a weapon were seized and that several suspected aides were detained. Brigadier General Ahmad al‑Dalati said the operation was conducted "in cooperation" with an anti‑ISIL alliance that includes the US‑led coalition, though CENTCOM has not confirmed involvement. Syrian officials called the arrest a "crippling blow" to ISIL networks in the capital region.
Syria Says Senior ISIL Figure Taha al‑Zoubi Captured Near Damascus After Maadamiya Raid
Syria's Interior Ministry has announced the arrest of Taha al‑Zoubi, a senior ISIL (ISIS) operative, following a security operation in the Damascus countryside, the state news agency SANA reported.
Authorities said the operation targeted an ISIL hideout in Maadamiya, southwest of Damascus, and that officers recovered a suicide belt and a military firearm from al‑Zoubi.
SANA quoted Brigadier General Ahmad al‑Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, who said the raid was carried out "in cooperation" with an anti‑ISIL alliance that includes the United States‑led coalition. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly confirmed involvement or commented on the operation.
“We send a clear message to anyone who dares to engage in the project of terrorism or lend support to ISIS: The hand of justice will reach them wherever they are,” al‑Dalati said, describing the capture as a "crippling blow" to ISIL networks in the capital region.
Al‑Dalati identified the detainee as Taha al‑Zoubi — also known by the nom de guerre Abu Omar Tibiya — and said he served as ISIL's wali, or governor, for Damascus. Several suspected aides were reportedly detained in the same operation.
Background
ISIL once controlled swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria — at its height about half the size of the United Kingdom — and declared Raqqa in Syria the capital of its self‑proclaimed "caliphate." The group became notorious for extreme brutality, including mass killings and beheadings.
While ISIL was pushed from power in Iraq in 2017 and lost its territorial hold in Syria by 2019, remnants, cells and foreign fighters remain active. They continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq and have inspired or coordinated violence in other regions, including parts of Africa and Afghanistan.
The Syrian announcement did not provide independent verification of CENTCOM's involvement. International or independent confirmation of the circumstances of the capture and the identities of those detained has not yet been reported.
