Islamic State group militants escaped from a prison in eastern Syria amid a chaotic transfer of control between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government on Monday, according to U.S. officials and regional sources.
The incident happened at Al-Shaddadi prison in Syria’s Hasakah province after a ceasefire had been brokered, which, according to reports, had not been moving fast enough.
The truce came after days of fighting, with Damascus accusing the SDF of dragging its feet on security handovers, sources told Fox News Digital.
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had publicly signaled impatience with Kurdish autonomy, effectively telling the SDF leadership that it was time to dissolve.
U.S. ANNOUNCES MORE MILITARY ACTIONS AGAINST ISIS: ‘WE WILL NOT RELENT’
Under an integration agreement reached Sunday, the SDF also agreed to withdraw from two Arab-majority provinces it had controlled for years.
The deal then included responsibility for prisons holding ISIS detainees who would be transferred from the SDF to the Syrian government.
The U.S. had worked with the SDF to move the worst of the worst ISIS foreign fighters to other, more secure Syrian prisons before the ceasefire.
TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS
Sources said there were fewer than 1,000 detainees at Al-Shaddadi prison previously, but only about 200 were there when the messy transition occurred Monday.
As SDF guards abandoned Al-Shaddadi prison and Syrian forces moved to take control, local residents broke roughly 200 ISIS detainees out of the facility, sources said.
“Most of these were low-level local fighters, not the hardened foreign fighters,” a well-placed source explained.
The U.S. military also said it had worked closely with the SDF in recent months to relocate the most dangerous foreign ISIS detainees to more secure prisons ahead of the ceasefire.
U.S. forces were also said to be closely monitoring developments as the transition unfolded.
ISRAELI OFFICIAL ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER CHILLING SYRIAN MILITARY WAR CHANTS SURFACE
A senior U.S. official also told Fox News that most of the escaped prisoners were quickly rounded up and returned to the prison, which is now under Syrian government control.
On Monday, the Syrian army imposed a total curfew in the city of Shaddadi and launched sweeping security operations to locate any remaining escapees, according to reports.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials confirmed they were “boosting our presence by air, land and sea,” with the military monitoring the situation very closely.
A squadron of F-15 fighter jets was repositioned and C-17 aircraft carrying heavy equipment arrived in the area. The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to enter the U.S. Central Command area by Jan. 25.
In Iraq, Kurdish protesters were also brought under control after amassing at the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, with reports of demonstrators standing on walls.
ISIS fighters break free from Syrian jail amid chaotic government handover 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-01-20 02:45:10 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
