Syrian forces hunt for ISIS fugitives after prison break

By Nadeen Ebrahim, Eyad Kourdi, CNN

(CNN) — Syrian forces are hunting ISIS fugitives after dozens escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria, the interior ministry said, as the government moves to take territory from Kurdish fighters.

Of the 120 who escaped, 81 have been captured, the ministry said Tuesday, adding that “intensive security efforts continue to track down the rest.”

Meanwhile, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a former US ally in the fight against ISIS, accused the US-led coalition of failing to come to its aid after it was pushed out of much of the territory it controlled in the country. On Tuesday, the SDF announced its withdrawal from a vast detention camp holding tens of thousands of ISIS-linked civilians, citing “international indifference.”

Syrian state media said US President Donald Trump spoke earlier with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to endorse Syria’s territorial integrity.

Here’s what we know about the prison break and the ongoing fighting in Syria.

What’s happening in northeastern Syria?

Detainees escaped from al-Shaddadi Prison on Monday as government forces wrested control of the area from the SDF, which had been the US’ main local partner in the fight against ISIS that began in 2015. The SDF and the government accused each other of releasing the prisoners.

SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami told Kurdish news site Rudaw that around 1,500 ISIS members had escaped, “including both foreign and Syrian nationals,” accusing government-linked armed groups of releasing them.

CNN cannot independently verify the number of detainees that were inside the prison, nor how many escaped. The SDF said Monday that al-Shaddadi prison held “thousands” of ISIS detainees.

On Tuesday, it accused government forces of besieging al-Aqtaan Prison, north of Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees, and cutting off water supplies, holding the government responsible for “any humanitarian or security repercussions.”

Later, the SDF said it withdrew from Al-Hol camp, which holds tens of thousands of ISIS-linked families, due to “international indifference” to ISIS and “the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities in addressing this serious matter.”

Syria’s ministry of defense said the SDF abandoned Al-Hol, “effectively allowing those held inside to leave,” and that it was ready to take over the camp as well as ISIS prisons. In a separate statement, the government said it had informed the US about the situation and accused the SDF of attempting to “export a new security crisis in the area.”

The defense ministry pledged that its forces will not enter Kurdish villages as it takes Kurdish-held territory in Syria.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said last year that Al-Hol, along with Al-Roj camp, houses over 40,000 displaced people, many of whom have ties to ISIS.

Why is this happening?

The Kurdish SDF feels abandoned by the US as Washington strengthens ties with the al-Sharaa government, which has pledged to reassert central control over all of Syria and opposes regional autonomy for religious or ethnic minorities.

Over the weekend, the Syrian military, aided by tribal militias, drove Kurdish forces out of large swaths of northeastern Syria that the SDF had controlled for more than a decade.

After the territorial gains, al-Sharaa said Sunday that an agreement had been reached with the SDF to end the fighting. Despite the ceasefire, both sides reported further clashes on Monday.

The SDF had been Washington’s partner in Syria, but the US drawdown from the country in 2019 left the Kurdish group backed into a corner, particularly after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime late last year and al-Sharaa’s rise to power. The US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria had long relied on the SDF to guard ISIS prisons.

On Monday, the SDF accused the coalition of failing to intervene to halt the advance of government-allied forces, despite what it said were “repeated calls” to its base roughly two kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that al-Sharaa held a phone call with Trump on Monday, where both parties stressed “the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial unity and independence.”

The two leaders also discussed Kurdish rights and combating ISIS, according to SANA.

What do we know about ISIS in Syria?

ISIS emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq. At the height of its power, it controlled about a third of Syria, with Raqqa as its capital. In 2017, the SDF declared the “total liberation” of Raqqa, working with US-led coalition forces to reclaim territory from ISIS.

Rights groups have criticized humanitarian conditions inside prisons holding suspected ISIS members, captured by the SDF. In 2019, Amnesty International said that the prisons violate the rights of more than 56,000 people in custody.

“These people include Syrians, Iraqis and other foreign nationals from an estimated 74 countries,” Amnesty said, adding that they are being held in a network of at least 27 detention facilities and two detention camps.

Al-Shaddadi detention facility and Al-Aqtaan prison are both relatively small prisons that hold both ISIS detainees and local inmates not affiliated with ISIS.

CENTCOM said last year that the SDF guards over a dozen detention facilities in Syria, housing over 9,000 ISIS detainees from over 50 different countries.

“A literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention,” CENTCOM commented.

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