How Syrian intelligence service cracked terrorist groups

Wissam Bassam

Syria has been hit hard for the past seven years as terrorists groups destroyed the country’s infrastructure, killing hundreds of thousands and leaving millions of refugees worldwide.

The terrorist groups were manipulated by international intelligence agencies to destabilize the region and spread chaos. The Syrian intelligence service has taken the initiative in a bid to eradicate terrorism and rein in foreign intelligence agents in Syria.

This study shows how the Syrian intelligence service has dealt with the terrorist groups and how it cracked these organizations.

Confrontation

The confrontation against extremism begins with preemptive security strikes, intelligence operations and intellectual tackling. The intelligence service collects information, recruiting spies and foiling terrorist schemes.

The Syrian intelligence relied on all the traditional instruments used by intelligence agencies worldwide, but it focused on the human resources.

• Database of all information about terrorist groups
• Eradication of funding
• Cracking recruitment centers

The Syrian conflict erupted in 2011with hundreds of terrorist groups taking part in it. Thousands of takfiris traveled to Syria  to join ISIS.

The Syrian intelligence service played a key role in uprooting takfiri groups.

The Syrian intelligence service comprises of 4 units:

• The military intelligence
• Syria’s general intelligence service
• The political security agency
• Air force intelligence agency

The Syrian intelligence agencies provided the army with required information to fight terrorists.

Ali Mamlouk, director of Syria’s intelligence service, said his agency was more affective in penetrating the takfiri groups. Mamlouk  said that the Syrian intelligence was more effective in cracking the terrorist groups.

Mamlouk said that the intelligence service had drawn on calm approach in dealing with takfiris.

The Syrian intelligence depended on creating fake takfiri leaders like Mohamed Koul Aghassi, who penetrated the terrorist groups and recruited many of their members.

The Syrian intelligence service also recruited agents like Mohamed Dandash, Abu Ishaq and Mohamed Kurmoz.

The Syrian intelligence also drew on communication intersection and tapped devices inside the operation rooms of terrorists.

It also cooperated with the Russian intelligence service to fight terrorists.

However, there are a number of challenges facing the Syrian intelligence. The terrorist groups have not been completely eradicated with many of them trying to hide out.

Standstill

Some terrorist groups have offered to give up their arms. But that has only happened because of the victory achieved by the Syrian army.

Syria has been an arena of a number of players such as Turkey, Iran and the US since 2011. Each country has its own militias on the Syrian ground. These countries want the Syrian conflict to continue.