ALEPPO, Syria — The Turkish-backed Syrian opposition has waged a security campaign against Islamic State (IS) cells in Azaz in the northern Aleppo countryside since Jan. 20, leading to the arrest of dozens of IS members and collaborators. The hunt for other members is expected to continue through the confessions of their fellows.

The Azaz media office said in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Jan. 19, “The military police in the city of Azaz launched a large-scale security operation during which a number of IS cells operating in the area were arrested, following clashes between the two sides. The operation comes in response to blasts and booby-trapped explosions carried out by these cells, which killed a military police commander and a civilian, and injured a Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighter in two separate operations.”

An FSA military police official, who declined to be named, told Al-Monitor, “The city of Azaz and its suburbs are on high-security alert. Military police are deployed at the city’s entrances and exits, and on the main roads in the vicinity of the city. Intensive searches for IS cells are also ongoing.”

The official would not disclose how many members the military police have arrested in Azaz since the beginning of the campaign.