• Once in control of swaths of Syria and Iraq, Daesh were territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition

DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces arrested armed members of a Daesh cell near Damascus on Monday accused of preparing attacks against the country.

The gang were carrying “light, medium and heavy weaponry” and “explosive devices and suicide vests they were planning to use to destabilize security and stability,” the Interior Ministry said.

The operation follows a similar incident this month in the northern city of Aleppo in which a security forces officer and three Daesh members were killed.

Once in control of swaths of Syria and Iraq, Daesh were territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. But the group have continued to carry out attacks, particularly against Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria.

During his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa in Riyadh this month, US President Donald Trump called on him to “help the US to prevent to resurgence” of Daesh, the White House said.

Meanwhie, Syria’s Kurds will insist on decentralized government in forthcoming talks with the new authorities in Damascus, Kurdish official Badran Ciya Kurd said. The Kurdish-led administration signed an agreement in March to integrate into Syria’s state institutions.

AFP