Amidst a turbulent transition of authority between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government, Islamic State group fighters managed to break free from a jail in eastern Syria, as confirmed by U.S. officials and local sources.
This jailbreak occurred at the Al-Shaddadi facility in Syria’s Hasakah province, following a ceasefire deal that reportedly was not advancing as swiftly as anticipated.
The ceasefire followed intense clashes, with Damascus criticizing the SDF for delaying the transfer of security responsibilities, insiders revealed to Fox News Digital.
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had openly expressed frustration over Kurdish self-governance, suggesting to SDF leaders that the time had come to relinquish control.
During this tumultuous handover at Al-Shaddadi prison, ISIS militants took advantage of the confusion to escape. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
As part of a unity agreement finalized on Sunday, the SDF also committed to evacuating from two provinces with predominantly Arab populations, which it had overseen for several 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.
Kurdish-Syrian ceasefire led to an ISIS prison escape in eastern Syria as forces abandoned Al-Shaddadi detention center during the security transition, U.S. officials confirmed.
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.
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had publicly signaled impatience with Kurdish autonomy. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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.
