Thousands of civilians were displaced by the clashes around the Ghwayran prison and its surroundings, in the northeast of the country, one of the largest jihadist prisons in Syria, guarded by Kurdish forces.
Since the assault on the prison launched Thursday night by some 100 IS fighters to free their comrades, “84 jihadists and 45 Kurdish fighters” have been killed, as well as “seven civilians,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. SOHR).
This attack is the largest since the Islamic State was defeated in Syria in 2019 by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by the Kurds and backed by the international anti-jihadist coalition led by U.S.
The SDF said in a statement that “IS fighters were inside the prison compound and could no longer escape” as their forces surrounded the area.
Thousands of jihadists are being held in northern and northeastern Syria, territories partly controlled by the Kurdish authorities. But the IS continues to manage to launch bloody attacks thanks to its clandestine cells.
“Fierce fighting broke out this Sunday at dawn, with the Kurdish forces trying to retake control of the prison and neutralize the jihadists who are in the surroundings,” explained the OSDH.
The prison, located in the city of Hassaké, houses some 3,500 members of the Islamic State, including the group’s leaders, according to this NGO, which has a wide network of sources in Syria.
Members of the SDF searched for the jihadists and urged civilians through loudspeakers to leave the area.
The United States condemned this attack, recalling that IS has been trying to free jihadists for more than a year. He also praised the SDF and international coalition forces for opposing the prison assault.
During the fighting, in the neighborhoods north of the prison, the SDF seized explosive belts, weapons and ammunition.
In a video released on Saturday, the Islamic State shows about twenty men, some of them in military attire, claiming that they are Kurds captured during the assault.
Commenting on the video, SDF stated that the captives were staff members who worked in the prison kitchen.
According to the Kurdish authorities, some 12,000 jihadists of more than 50 nationalities are held in prisons under their control.
The Kurds call in vain for the repatriation of the thousands of jihadist prisoners who have nationalities from Western countries.
The war in Syria, triggered in 2011 by the repression of pro-democracy demonstrators, has been complicated over the years with the involvement of regional and international powers, in a context of jihadist emergency.
The conflict has caused half a million deaths, devastated the country’s infrastructure and forced millions of people to flee their homes to flee the fighting.
Source From: Ambito
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