Triggered by a major jihadist assault on a prison in Syria, clashes between fighters from the Daesh group and Kurdish forces continue for the fourth consecutive day and have left 123 dead according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
Thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting taking place in and around Ghwayran prison (northeast), one of the largest housing jihadists in Syria, and guarded by Kurdish forces.
→ THE FACTS. Deadly attacks by the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq
Since the assault on the prison launched on Thursday night by some 100 ISIS fighters to free their comrades, “77 jihadists and 39 Kurdish fighters were killed”, in the same way “seven civilians”, said the OSDH.
3,500 prisoners locked up in Ghwayran
This attack is the largest since Daesh was defeated in 2019 in Syria, a country at war, by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dominated by Kurdish forces, and supported by the international anti-jihadist coalition led by the United States.
→ CHRONICLE. Deceptive calm in Syria
Thousands of jihadists are detained in the north and northeast of the country, territories in the hands of the Kurdish authorities. The group, however, still manages to carry out deadly attacks thanks to sleeper cells.
The prison, located in the city of Hassaké, houses some 3,500 suspected members of Daesh, including leaders of the extremist group, according to the OSDH. The attackers succeeded in seizing weapons and freeing jihadists. Hundreds of the escapees have been caught but dozens are still on the run.
Flight of civilians
On Sunday, the fighting continued, the Kurdish forces being supported by the air force of the international coalition. The United States condemned this attack, recalling that Daesh had been trying to free the jihadists for more than a year.
“It is thanks to their diligence and skill that the SDF and the anti-ISIS coalition forces were able to thwart several attacks during this period and that they were able to limit the severity of this one”, the State Department said.
The fighting took place in areas north of the prison, and the FDS seized explosive belts, weapons and ammunition. The violence sparked a flight of civilians in the freezing cold.
An overcrowded prison
According to Nicholas Heras of the Newlines Institute in Washington, “Prison breaks represent the best opportunity for IS to regain its strength (…) and Ghwayran prison is a good target because it is overcrowded”.
Many Kurdish-held prisons were originally schools and are therefore ill-suited to holding inmates for the long term. According to the Kurdish authorities, some 12,000 jihadists of more than 50 nationalities are detained in their prisons.
