Syrian interior minister says will continue to pursue IS after cell dismantled

Syrian authorities say they have dismantled an Islamic State group (IS) cell in the northern city of Raqqa following a deadly attack on a security checkpoint, as Interior Minister Anas Khattab vowed to continue to pursue both the armed group and remnants of the former Assad regime.

Four members of the government's Internal Security Forces were killed and two others wounded on Monday when gunmen targeted a government checkpoint in western Raqqa, according to state media.

Officials said one attacker was "neutralised" and security units launched a sweep of the area to track down other suspected members of the cell.

A security source told Alikhbariah TV that the dismantled cell was affiliated with IS and had been involved in the checkpoint attack. The assault marked the second violent incident in the area within 48 hours.

IS later claimed responsibility for a separate attack on a Syrian army headquarters in Mayadeen, in Deir az-Zour province, which it said killed one soldier.

In posts on X late on Tuesday, Khattab said the "heroes of the Interior Ministry" were continuing raids on IS hideouts and pursuing its remnants, alongside tracking down officials linked to the former government of Bashar al-Assad.

He said the ministry would "not hesitate to confront any threat targeting the security of our country and our people".

Syrian security forces also announced an operation against the pro-Assad group Sarraya al-Jawad, reporting that its leader had been killed.

Raqqa was held by IS between 2014 and 2017 and served as the group's de facto capital before it was driven out by a US-led coalition.

The area later came under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) before government forces recently reasserted control following a ceasefire and integration agreement.