Internal Security Forces in Raqqa governorate announced they had dismantled a cell affiliated with the Islamic State group, which they said was behind two attacks that targeted a security checkpoint west of Raqqa city (northern Syria) over the past two days, killing four personnel and wounding others.
Raqqa Internal Security commander Col. Rami Asaad al-Taha said, in a statement published by the Ministry of Interior on Facebook, Tuesday, 24 February, that security units carried out “qualitative and simultaneous” operations at dawn, based on “accurate intelligence information and investigations.” The operations resulted in neutralizing the cell leader and one member, arresting four others, and seizing weapons and ammunition in their possession.
Al-Taha added that the cell was affiliated with the Islamic State group and was responsible for targeting the security checkpoint west of Raqqa. He said sweep operations in the area would continue, alongside strengthened preventive measures at checkpoints and security centers.
He also said specialized units were continuing sweeps and pursuit operations, stressing they would “pursue anyone who dares to tamper with citizens’ security,” as he put it.
Some areas of the Syrian Badia desert and the countryside of Raqqa have seen intermittent activity by cells believed to be linked to the Islamic State, despite the group’s territorial defeat since 2019 and ongoing security campaigns against it.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Raqqa said the area has recently seen a noticeable absence of inspection checkpoints and patrols by Internal Security Forces, especially at night, heightening residents’ anxiety.
The correspondent added that several residents complained about reduced security presence on some key roads west of the city, saying this absence creates space for armed cells to move, allowing them greater room to carry out hit-and-run attacks and then withdraw.
The correspondent noted that fear is not limited to those living near the al-Sabahiyah checkpoint, which was recently targeted, but extends to nearby villages and areas. Many prefer to stay home at night or limit travel between the countryside and the city center, in case of any security incident.
For his part, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in statements published on X that Interior Ministry personnel continue to monitor “all terrorist activities.”
He added that attempts by what he called “outlaws” remain ongoing, whether from “remnants of the fallen regime and its militias” or from the Islamic State group, saying the group is trying to exploit “misled young men” to target the “successes of the Syrian state in the eastern region,” as he put it.
The minister referred to the killing of Internal Security personnel over the past two days, and said raids on “Islamic State hideouts” and pursuit operations against “remnants of the fallen regime” would continue, as would efforts to confront any threat to security across different Syrian regions.
These statements came as an additional security incident unfolded this morning in the village of Jableh (in the countryside of Latakia, northwestern Syria), following clashes between Internal Security Forces and members of “Saraya al-Jawad,” alongside other incidents reported in parts of Raqqa’s countryside in recent days, while official bodies continue to say they are carrying out preemptive operations to prevent a resurgence of the group’s cells in the area.
Leader of “Saraya al-Jawad” killed in clashes with Internal Security
Attacks against security forces in Raqqa
Four members of the Internal Security Forces were killed in an attack targeting the al-Sabahiyah checkpoint west of Raqqa city on Monday, 23 February, marking the third time the checkpoint has been targeted in about 10 days.
The attack came as separate parts of Raqqa’s countryside have seen movements by cells believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group, targeting security and military positions in the area.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Raqqa said the attack on the al-Sabahiyah checkpoint was the third within a short period.
He said the first attack occurred about 10 days ago, wounding several Internal Security personnel, without any deaths reported.
He added that the checkpoint was attacked a second time on Sunday morning at around 7 a.m., killing one Internal Security member, before the checkpoint was targeted again for a third time today, resulting in the killing of four personnel.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that four Internal Security members were killed and two others were injured in an attack that targeted one of the checkpoints in Raqqa.
In a statement published on Facebook, the ministry said, “A checkpoint affiliated with the Internal Security Forces was subjected to a terrorist attack, resulting in the killing of four members of the checkpoint and the injury of two.”
It added that security forces were able to neutralize one member of the attacking cell.
The statement said forces were continuing to sweep the area to pursue the remaining members of the cell.
Previous attacks claimed by the group
The latest attack in Raqqa comes amid continued activity by Islamic State cells in different parts of Syria.
The group claimed responsibility for an attack targeting government forces in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) on 16 February.
In a statement via Amaq, its media outlet, the group said the attack targeted two members near the town of al-Ragheeb in the Dhiban area, using machine guns, killing one and injuring the other.
The group’s al-Naba weekly newspaper also reported details of the attack, saying it took place in the same area and targeted government forces.
In a related incident, a member of Syria’s General Security was killed, and four US soldiers were injured, along with two Syrian army personnel, in an attack that targeted a US military convoy in Palmyra (eastern Homs, central Syria) on 13 December 2025.
On 21 February, an audio recording attributed to the Islamic State group’s official spokesperson, “Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari,” was published, containing an attack on the Syrian government.
According to Enab Baladi’s monitoring, the recording described the government as “secular” and called for confronting it, with references to officials in power and an insinuation that the fate of some of them “will not differ from the end of former president Bashar al-Assad.”
The recording was published as different parts of Syria continue to see attacks claimed by the group, targeting security and military sites.
Internal Security announces dismantling of Islamic State cell in Raqqa Enab Baladi.
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