Syrian forces, US-led coalition capture senior Daesh leader near Damascus
Interior Ministry says Taha al-Zoubi led Daesh operations in the capital. State media says suspect was captured wearing an explosive vest.
Syria has said that a senior leader of Daesh had been captured in a joint operation by Syrian security forces and the US-led international coalition in the countryside of the capital, Damascus.
The suspect, Taha al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya, served as Daesh’s so-called "wali," or governor, for Damascus, according to Syrian officials.
He was arrested late on Wednesday along with several of his aides.
"As a result of the operation carried out by coalition forces and internal security units, Daesh’s so-called Damascus governor was captured," Syria’s state television channel Al-Ikhbariyah reported, citing a source from the Interior Ministry.
Speaking to Syria’s official news agency SANA, Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, head of Internal Security in the Damascus countryside, said the arrest followed a prolonged period of surveillance.
He said the joint operation was carried out by the General Intelligence Directorate under the Interior Ministry, in coordination with coalition forces, against a Daesh cell operating in the Muaddamiyah district.
Al-Dalati said al-Zoubi and several of his aides were captured while wearing explosive vests.