U.S. Special Forces conducted a helicopter-borne raid in the Al-Dumayr area of the Damascus suburbs, in coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Interior, resulting in the capture of Ahmad Abdullah al-Masoud al-Badri, a known member of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Local sources reported that the operation, carried out just a few kilometers from Damascus, involved Syrian Ministry of Interior counterterrorism units alongside forces from the U.S.-led international coalition. It marked the first such airborne assault in the region.
According to leaks, aBadri, a senior ISIS commander, had been in hiding in the Syrian desert for years before returning to his hometown of Al-Dumayr following the collapse of the ousted regime’s control there.
Sources indicate this was the fifth joint U.S.-Syrian operation since July, part of what Washington describes as its ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
U.S. Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack commented on the raid via his X account, stating, “Syria is back on our side.”
Yesterday, the Syrian Ministry of Interior released footage of a separate security operation conducted by its General Intelligence Directorate in collaboration with internal security forces in the Damascus suburbs. The raid targeted an ISIS cell in Muadamiyat al-Qalamoun, north of the province, following meticulous surveillance of the group’s movements.
The ministry reported that the operation led to the arrest of one cell member, while a second was killed attempting to detonate a suicide vest, and a third succumbed to injuries sustained during the clash. Authorities recovered weapons, ammunition, and a prepared explosive belt.
Coalition Operations in Syria
Last August, a source provided Syria TV with details of an international coalition air raid targeting ISIS in the Atmeh area of Idlib’s suburbs, northwest Syria. The operation began at dawn, with coalition military helicopters circling the area while ground forces sealed off several residential neighborhoods, barring entry or exit during the mission.
The source described the targeted house as a two-story building. The ground floor was occupied by the family of an individual identified as “A.Kh.,” the homeowner, while the second floor housed a 24-year-old man, his wife, mother, and young child. Coalition forces evacuated the ground-floor residents before initiating searches. The young man on the second floor attempted to flee during the operation, prompting forces to engage and kill him immediately.
Operation in Aleppo Suburbs
In July, U.S. Central Command forces conducted an operation in Al-Bab, Aleppo province, northern Syria, resulting in the deaths of prominent ISIS leader Diya Zobaa Musleh al-Hardani and his two sons, Abdullah Diya al-Hardani and Abdul Rahman Diya Zobaa al-Hardani.
In an official statement, Central Command confirmed that the targeted individuals posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces as well as Syria’s new government. The statement noted the presence of three women and three children at the site, with no reported injuries among them.
The Al-Bab operation was among the coalition’s largest in the region in months, part of a broader effort to pursue ISIS leaders across northern Syria, particularly amid the group’s recent resurgence in rural areas and the desert.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
