Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 31
Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from July 6 to July 12
Announcements of security deployments mostly in western Syria, with an emphasis on the minority regions. This weekly update is intended to provide base level data for more holistic research into the rebuilding of the security and governance structures of post-Assad Syria. Direct links to primary sources are provided throughout.
This week saw several major ISIS events in Syria. On July 7, two IEDs were detonated in central Damascus while French President Macron was visiting. On July 9, a senior ISIS leader and his associated cell were arrested in Daraa. The next evening, security forces conducted a massive operations across four Damascus city districts, detaining ISIS cells linked to the July 7 IED attacks, as well as at least one other earlier IED attack.
Meanwhile, multiple inter-family disputes in northwest Syria resulted in several deaths and injuries across rural Aleppo and Idlib, triggering repeat ISC deployments and weapons seizures. The Ministry of Interior also arrested several regime-era criminals and one media activist accused of inciting sectarian disputes.
Vigilante killings continue at the same high pace as throughout this summer, with four men killed in Idlib, Hama, and Damascus.