Syria says key ISIL leader captured near Damascus

"The report said a tightly executed security operation was carried out that led to the arrest of al-Zoubi, adding that a suicide belt and a military weapon were seized in his possession. SANA quoted Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in Damascus Countryside, as saying the raid targeted an ISIL hideout in Maadamiya, southwest of Damascus, and was carried out in cooperation with an anti-ISIL alliance that includes the US-led coalition fighting the group."

"Al-Dalati said al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya, served as the group's wali (or governor) of Damascus and that several alleged aides were also detained. The official added that the arrest dealt a crippling blow to ISIL networks in the capital region and showed the readiness of the security apparatus. We send a clear message to anyone who dares to engage in the project of terrorism or lend support to ISIS: the hand of justice will reach them wherever they are, al-Dalati said."

"ISIL, which views the new government in Damascus as illegitimate, has mainly concentrated its activities against Kurdish forces in the north. At its peak, ISIL ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom, spanning across Iraq and Syria, with Raqqa in the latter being the capital of the armed group's self-declared caliphate. The group was notorious for its brutality, carrying out massacres of Syrians and Iraqis and beheading of foreign captives."

Taha al-Zoubi, also known as Abu Omar Tibiya, was arrested during a tightly executed security operation in Maadamiya, southwest of Damascus. Security forces seized a suicide belt and a military weapon and detained several alleged aides. The operation targeted an ISIL hideout and was carried out in cooperation with an anti-ISIL alliance that includes the US-led coalition; CENTCOM has not publicly confirmed the operation. Officials described the arrest as a crippling blow to ISIL networks in the capital region and a warning that supporters will be pursued. ISIL previously controlled large territory across Iraq and Syria but continues to carry out deadly attacks regionally and beyond.

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