LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it released six people detained during an investigation into a Daesh cell in the southern province of Quneitra, saying it found no evidence that they were involved and apologizing to them and their families.
The detentions followed the ministry’s Aug. 9 announcement that security forces had arrested a nine-member Daesh-affiliated cell in Khan Arnabeh, in Quneitra province.
After completing its investigation, the ministry identified Musab Khalil Al-Sheikh, dubbed “the Chinese,” as the alleged leader of the cell. It said he previously held senior positions within Daesh, including “wali of Damascus,” Damascus security leader and southern military commander.
Al-Sheikh operated under the command of Mahmoud Shahada Ali, known as “Shaddad,” the ministry said. Investigators also found that Suhaib Wael Al-Sheikh and Mousa Hashem Mustafa were involved in activities linked to Daesh.
Because of the seriousness of the allegations, authorities initially detained several people believed to have possible connections to Al-Sheikh while they examined whether they had ties to the cell or its operations, the ministry said.
However, the investigation found no evidence that Adel Abdullah Al-Saeed, Mohammad Adel Al-Saeed, Mustafa Adel Al-Saeed, Bayan Khaled Al-Masri, Maher Othman Al-Asaad and Amer Ibrahim Al-Sayed had participated in activities on behalf of Daesh.
Their connection to Al-Sheikh was limited to family ties, the ministry said.
The ministry apologized to the six people and their families for the time they spent in custody and for the precautionary measures taken during the investigation.
The announcement comes as Syria’s transitional government, which overthrew longtime President Bashar Assad in late 2024, seeks a more central role in the campaign against Daesh, combining domestic raids and arrests with closer cooperation with the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh.
Damascus joined the coalition in February as its 90th member and has said it intends to assume national leadership of the counter-Daesh campaign. Coalition partners have welcomed the plan and said that they are prepared to support Syrian and Iraqi efforts.
The transition is significant but difficult, as Damascus takes on responsibilities long held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria.
Although Daesh no longer controls territory in Syria as it did at the height of its power in 2014 and 2015, it remains capable of insurgent attacks, roadside bombings, assassinations and small-cell operations.
Attacks by Daesh against Syrian government forces rose sharply in 2026, from 16 in all of last year to 52 in the first half of this year, according to the conflict monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.
The increase has been linked to an anti-Daesh campaign launched by the government after an attack on US troops in Palmyra in December. Recent attacks have targeted checkpoints, patrols and security centers.
