More than 100 inmates have escaped from a Syrian jail holding Islamic State prisoners amid clashes in the north-east of the country, following an agreement by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to withdraw from two key provinces. Videos released by the SDF showed what it said were IS members being broken out from a jail in Shaddadi by figures in black balaclavas. The SDF claimed it lost control of the building after an attack by government-affiliated fighters that killed or wounded dozens.
The Syrian army confirmed the escape late on Monday and imposed a total curfew in Shaddadi, according to state news agency Sana. It denied attacking the jail and blamed the SDF for the escapes, saying it would comb the city in search of the militants. Syria's interior ministry reported that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped, while Kurdish forces put the figure much higher, at 1,500. Security forces have recaptured 81 people, with efforts continuing to arrest the remaining fugitives.
The clashes came less than 24 hours after Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announced a ceasefire with the SDF and a plan to dismantle the group's decade-long control of the north-east. The sudden defeat of the SDF raises questions about its ability to retain control of prisons and camps housing tens of thousands of IS supporters. Fighting was also reported outside al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, and two other facilities in the city were reportedly emptied by local people.
Many IS detainees, originally from 70 countries including the UK, are held in Kurdish majority areas, where they have been detained since the territorial defeat of the terrorist group in 2019. Female detainees and their families are held in al-Hawl camp, with an estimated 26,000 people, and the smaller Roj camp, where Shamima Begum is housed. About 4,500 men are held at Panorama or Gweiran prison. It remains unclear who freed the prisoners in Shaddadi, with the SDF blaming 'Damascus factions' and claiming several of its fighters were beheaded.
The US-led anti-IS coalition did not respond to SDF appeals for assistance, according to the SDF. The US military's central command did not immediately comment. Kurdish-led forces backed by the US rounded up tens of thousands of people linked to IS after the group's defeat. Under a deal between the SDF and Damascus, the administration responsible for IS prisoners and camps is to be integrated with the Syrian government, which will assume 'full legal and security responsibility' for these facilities. However, the plan is fraught with mistrust as many Kurds fear the government could loosen controls on IS networks.
Among the prisoners are an estimated 55 men, women and children from the UK, including Begum, many of whom have had their citizenship removed. Reprieve, a UK-based human rights group, said the situation was 'a reality check' for Britain's refusal to repatriate people held in Syria. Maya Foa, Reprieve's chief executive, said: 'The only safe thing to do is bring British nationals home and prosecute the adults where there is a case to answer.'
