Kurdish-led force says armed group attacks Syria prison
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said an “armed group” attacked the Shaddadi prison in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, where thousands of Islamic State militants are being held.
The SDF said earlier in the day that it clashed with Syrian government forces near Al-Aktan prison on the outskirts of Raqqa city, which also houses ISIS detainees.
Raqqa was once the center of the short-lived “caliphate” declared by ISIS in the region.
The SDF called the clashes an “extremely dangerous development” and said government forces’ capture of the prison “could have serious security repercussions, threatening stability and paving the way for a return to chaos and terrorism.”
According to the comprehensive integration agreement reached between the SDF and the Syrian central government on Sunday, responsibility for prisons holding ISIS detainees would be transferred to Syrian authorities.
After days of clashes with government forces, the pro-autonomy SDF, once the main US ally in Syria, agreed on Sunday to withdraw from two Arab-majority provinces they have controlled for years, including oil fields.
Syrian government troops on Monday tightened their grip on northern and eastern regions abruptly abandoned by the SDF on Sunday, in a dramatic shift that strengthens President Ahmed al-Shara’s rule.
Following the agreement, the government’s internal security forces and military police were setting up checkpoints in Raqqa and checking IDs.
Security sources here said Raqqa was cleared of SDF fighters overnight.
