Dozens of IS prisoners freed in Syria amid clashes between army and Kurdish-led forces | Syria

Following clashes in Syria between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government forces in the northeast of the country, dozens of prisoners in a prison where ISIS prisoners were held were released.

Videos released by the SDF showed ISIS members being kidnapped from a prison in Shaddadi by men wearing black balaclavas and said they lost control of the building after an attack by government fighters that left dozens dead or injured.

The Syrian army confirmed the escape late Monday and declared a full curfew in Shaddadi, state news agency Sana reported. But he denied that the prison was attacked and blamed the SDF for the escapes, saying he would comb the city looking for militants.

The clashes took place less than 24 hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said his government had agreed to a ceasefire with the SDF and would move to eliminate the group’s decade-long control of the country’s northeast and significantly consolidate its sovereignty.

The SDF’s sudden defeat in northern Syria raises questions about its ability to retain control of prisons and camps housing tens of thousands of male and female ISIS supporters.

Clashes were also reported outside Al Aqtan prison in Raqqa, formerly held by the SDF, and Kurdish sources said two other prisons in the city – Taameer and a juvenile detention center – were evacuated by locals. The Syrian army said it arrived to secure Al Aktan “despite the presence of SDF forces inside”.

Large numbers of ISIS detainees, originally from 70 countries including the UK, are held further north-east in Kurdish-majority areas; many have been detained since the terror group’s regional defeat in 2019.

The bulk of female detainees and their families are held in Al Hawl, where there are an estimated 26,000 people, and the smaller Roj camp, which houses Shamima Begum, while about 4,500 men are held in Panorama or Gweiran prison.

It is not yet clear who released the prisoners in Shaddadi. The SDF claimed that the gunmen involved were “Damascus groups” and that many of its fighters were beheaded.

The statement stated that the US-led anti-ISIS coalition did not respond despite repeated calls for help to a nearby coalition base. The U.S. military’s central command did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States detained tens of thousands of people affiliated with ISIS after the group’s defeat. Washington later handed responsibility for the camps to its Kurdish allies, but as U.S. troops shrink, pressure is mounting for Syria’s new authorities to take over.

According to the text of the agreement between the SDF and Damascus, the management responsible for ISIS detainees and camps and the forces ensuring their security will be integrated with the Syrian government, which will assume “all legal and security responsibility” for these facilities.

But the plan, which is also part of efforts to reform the Kurdish-led SDF into a unified national army, is fraught with mistrust as many Kurds fear the government, led by former Islamist rebels once linked to Al Qaeda, could loosen controls on ISIS networks.

The prisoners and detainees include an estimated 55 men, women and children from the United Kingdom, including Begum, many of whom had their citizenship revoked due to their links to ISIS.

UK-based human rights campaign group Reprieve said the current situation was a “reality check” for Britain’s refusal to repatriate people held in Syria. Other countries, including the United States, which repatriated 28 people, gradually brought back most of their citizens who had been detained indefinitely.

Maya Foa, Reprieve’s chief executive, said “the volatility of the current situation requires an urgent rethink” and that “the only safe thing to do is to bring British citizens home and prosecute adults where there is a case to answer.”

Al Shara’s jihadist career took shape in post-invasion Iraq, where he was drawn into the orbit of Al Qaeda through its branch in Iraq and the precursor of IS. His militant ties deepened after he was detained by the United States in 2005 and he encountered Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who later sent him to Syria to found the Nusra Front.

The group rose quickly but split from Baghdadi in 2013, causing Sharaa to first form an open alliance with al-Qaeda and then break that tie in 2016, launching a more locally rooted insurgency that would eventually become Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria’s new leaders have struggled to gain full authority over the country. An agreement to unite the SDF with Damascus was reached in March, but it did not gain traction as both sides accused each other of violating the agreement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, long a foe of the SDF, praised the Syrian army on Monday for its “careful” offensive to capture Kurdish-held areas in the country’s northeast.

“It is admirable that the Syrian army carefully managed this sensitive operation. Despite the provocations, the Syrian army passed the test successfully by avoiding actions that would put it in the wrong while being right,” he said.

Turkey sees the SDF as an extension of the Kurdish militant PKK and a major threat along the 900 km (550 mi) border it shares with Syria.

Describing the ceasefire and integration agreement as “a very important success for permanent peace and stability in Syria”, Erdoğan said: “The principle of one state, one army is indispensable for stability.”

He urged the deal to be implemented as soon as possible, saying there was “no excuse for stalling or playing for time. The era of terror in our region is over. No one should miscalculate.”