The Central Crisis Management Cell (CCMC) (Arabic: خلية إدارة الأزمة السورية), also known as the Syrian Crisis Cell, was a secret security committee established by the Syrian government in March 2011 to coordinate the response to civilian protest and internal dissent.
[4] The CCMC met regularly in an office on the first floor of the Baath Party's Regional Command in central Damascus.
It focused on identifying opposition figures and taking the necessary steps to crush dissent.
[4] The CCMC is headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and comprises the following members[3][5] On 18 July 2012, a meeting of the CCMC at the National Security headquarters in Damascus was subject to a bombing attack[5] that led to the deaths of the Syrian Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha,[6] Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, and the assistant to the vice president General Hasan Turkmani.
[7] In 2012, Abdulhalim Barakat, a secret member of the Syrian government opposition employed by the CCMC to process confidential security memos, leaked detailed minutes from CCMC meetings to Al Jazeera.