ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s interior ministry announced late Friday that security forces killed two suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members in a clash near a Shiite Muslim holy site in Damascus, a day after a bombing injured more than a dozen people near the capital.
"While carrying out its duties on roads leading to military barracks and government facilities in the Sayyida Zaynab area, a night patrol affiliated with the Internal Security Command in the Damascus countryside became suspicious of two masked individuals positioned on the side of the road," read a statement from the ministry.
"When patrol members attempted to stop them to verify their identities, the two opened fire on the officers, sparking a clash that ended with both being neutralized," it added.
The ministry claimed that the suspects had been planting an explosive device "in preparation for an attack targeting a government facility," adding that the individuals were affiliated with ISIS.
Sayyida Zaynab, south of Damascus, is home to the Sayyida Zaynab Shrine, one of Syria's most important Shiite Muslim pilgrimage sites. It is traditionally believed to contain the tomb of Zaynab bint Ali, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. The shrine's main Friday preacher was killed in an attack in May.
Several explosions have been reported in Syria in recent months, with the latest targeting a passenger bus in Rif Dimashq late Thursday, injuring 14 people. Another attack targeted a cafe in Damascus last month, killing nine people. The capital was also hit by explosions during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the city in July.
