ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Thursday that authorities had eliminated two senior ISIS leaders in Syria within 24 hours, calling it a new phase in the country’s ongoing campaign against the militant group.

In a statement posted on X, Khattab said the elimination of two ISIS “governors” responsible for Damascus and the Hauran region, was carried out through “precise tactics and high-level coordination” between the Interior Ministry, the General Intelligence Service, and Global partners.

ISIS took control of swathes of Syrian territory in 2014, declaring its so-called caliphate with the Iraqi city of Mosul as its capital. They were territorially defeated with assistance from the US-led coalition forces in Syria in 2019.

Despite their territorial defeat, the group has sought to exploit the region’s instability following the fall of the Baath regime by conducting hit-and-run sporadic operations in remote areas of the country.

The Interior Ministry said the operation was carried out in a “highly coordinated” fashion in the town of Hteita al-Turkman in the al-Mleiha area, resulting in the arrest of the leader of an ISIS-affiliated terrorist cell following surveillance and close monitoring.

Security forces seized various weapons and ammunition, as well as documents that authorities said prove the suspect’s direct involvement in terrorist activities aimed at undermining security and stability.

In December, Syria officially joined the international coalition to defeat ISIS, becoming its 90th partner, a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with top US officials in Washington, including President Donald Trump, during which they urged Damascus to join the anti-ISIS efforts.

Days before the meeting, Damascus carried out a widescale operation targeting ISIS cells, arresting more than 70 alleged ISIS-affiliated individuals and confiscating weapons and explosives.