Two Syrian security officers killed in raid on suspected ISIL cell near Damascus
Syria's Interior Ministry says five suspected ISIL fighters were killed and six arrested in the operation in Rankous, west of the capital.
At a glance
- Syria's Interior Ministry says two internal security officers were killed and five wounded in a raid on a suspected ISIL cell in Rankous.
- The ministry says five suspected ISIL members were killed and six arrested, with weapons and explosive belts seized.
- Residents told Al Jazeera the clashes lasted two to three hours and put the group's size at about nine, fewer than officials said.
Two members of Syria's internal security forces were killed and five wounded on Thursday when a raid on a suspected ISIL (ISIS) cell in Rankous, in the western Damascus countryside, turned into a firefight, the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry said the suspects declined to surrender and opened fire on the security forces, triggering the clashes. Five alleged ISIL members were killed and six arrested, it said, adding that weapons and explosive belts were seized.
Residents describe a smaller group
Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett, reporting from Syria, said residents told her the fighting began at about 6am (03:00 GMT) and continued for two to three hours. Some of the wounded security personnel were seriously hurt, she said.
Residents' accounts differed from the official figures. They said the group numbered about nine people, fewer than officials reported, with two of its members killed, two escaping and an unknown number injured.
Residents also told the local outlet Syria Now that the security forces imposed a curfew and arrested several people.
Latest in a series of raids
The operation was the latest in a run of raids as the government works to break up ISIL networks and prevent attacks.
According to Syria Now, the ministry has said it foiled an ISIL plot in the Damascus countryside and dismantled a cell in the Houla area of Homs earlier this month. Those plans involved attacks on places of worship and on security patrols, the outlet reported.
On October 6, the ministry announced the arrest of Khaled Raed Birouni, also known as Abu Hassan Dushka, in the town of Hujaira in the Damascus countryside. Authorities say he was the group's top military commander for Homs and accuse him of planning several attacks there, including the December 2025 bombing of a mosque in the city's Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood during Friday prayers. Syria's Health Ministry said eight people were killed and 18 wounded in that attack.
Pett said ISIL has attacked Syrian security forces repeatedly, usually targeting buses and vehicles carrying personnel, along with a smaller number of attacks on civilians.
Syria joined the 90-member international coalition against ISIL in November, six years after Syrian Kurdish-led forces led the territorial defeat of ISIL strongholds in the country's northeast.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What happened in Rankous, Syria?
- Syrian internal security forces raided a suspected ISIL cell in the town of Rankous, in the western Damascus countryside, on Thursday. The Interior Ministry said two officers were killed and five wounded, and that five suspected fighters died and six were arrested.
- How many people were killed in the Rankous clashes?
- The Interior Ministry reported two security officers and five suspected ISIL members killed. Residents told Al Jazeera the group was smaller than officials said, numbering about nine people, with two members killed.
- Who is Khaled Raed Birouni, also known as Abu Hassan Dushka?
- Syrian authorities announced his arrest on October 6 in Hujaira, in the Damascus countryside. They say he was ISIL's top military commander for Homs and accuse him of planning attacks there, including a December 2025 mosque bombing.
