Two Killed, Five Wounded as Syrian Forces Raid Suspected ISIS Cell Near Damascus

State media says two Internal Security Forces members were killed and five wounded in a joint raid with the General Intelligence Service in Rankous. ISIS attacks on Syrian government forces have tripled this year, monitors report.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk22 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

Two members of Syria's Internal Security Forces were killed and five others wounded during a raid on a suspected ISIS-linked cell in the town of Rankous, about 45 kilometres north of Damascus, state-run SANA news agency reported on Thursday, citing the internal security forces.

The fighting broke out on Thursday morning as security forces moved against the cell in the western countryside of Damascus. The operation was carried out jointly with Syria's General Intelligence Service, according to the forces' statement.

The raid is the latest in a string of operations as Damascus tries to dismantle ISIS networks. The monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) said in August that ISIS attacks against Syrian government forces had risen sharply in 2026 — from 16 such attacks last year to 52 in the first half of this year alone.

The Syrian government, which took over in late 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, has sought to assure world powers that it can keep extremists at bay, and has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against ISIS.

Sources

Syria state-run SANA news agency (via Hatha Alyoum English): two security personnel killed, five wounded in Rankous operation — https://en.hathalyoum.net/articles/302744

Al Jazeera (via syndication): two Syrian security officers killed, five wounded in raid on suspected ISIL cell — https://trinidadtribune.com/two-syrian-security-officers-killed-in-raid-on-isil-cell-near-damascus/

The National (via BytesEU): ISIS attacks on Syrian government forces rose from 16 last year to 52 in H1 2026, per ACLED — https://www.byteseu.com/2472389/