What on paper was designed to be the handover of a Syrian prison holding Islamic State fighters turned into chaos as an estimated 200 captives broke free Sunday.
The incident took place as the central Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reached an agreement that put Al-Shaddadi prison, along with other territory held by the SDF, under the control of the Syrian government, according to Fox News.
The deal was designed to extend the central government’s control to an area controlled by the Kurds that was at war with the government of former dictator Bashar al-Assad during the long-running Syrian civil war.
Prior to the agreement taking place Sunday, the United States and the SDF, which the U.S. supported when it battled the Islamic state for control of northeastern Syria, moved many fighters to other prisons considered more secure.
Thousands of ISIS terrorists being freed from Syrian SDF prisons where they were held by the Kurds, now taken over by Jolani and his Islamist militias.
Making any sort of pact with the Hamas-supporting Erdogan and his Salafist Syrian proxy was a huge mistake. pic.twitter.com/cUQwCZt79v
— PythonFive (@pyhtonfive) January 19, 2026
Reuters reported that about 600 Islamic State fighters were removed.
On Monday, when the transition from the SDF to the Syrian government took place, about 200 prisoners remained, Fox reported.
Local residents used the period between when SDF guards left their posts and Syrian forces arrived to help the Islamic State fighters escape.
“Most of these were low-level local fighters, not the hardened foreign fighters,” Fox quoted what it said was a “a well-placed source” as saying.
Fox reported U.S. forces were monitoring the transition.
Syrian officials said that as of Monday night, the prison was under Syrian control and fighters who escaped were being arrested, according to The New York Times.
Recriminations flew after the incident, with the SDF saying groups “affiliated” with the central government attacked the prison to release the Islamic State fighters.
The SDF noted that an attack on al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa left nine of its fighters dead.
Syria: Despite the ceasefire, clashes continue between the Kurds and the Syrian military, who are trying to capture the Al-Atan prison in the city of Raqqa – where thousands of ISIS militants are held.
The Kurds claim that the Syrian army is trying to free the prisoners in this… pic.twitter.com/COQwwVUHRG— Dana Levi דנה🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@Danale) January 20, 2026
The SDF also claimed that it was ignored when it called upon the U.S. for help after the prison escape.
A U.S. official denied the allegation.
The Times report noted that under the broader agreement, the Kurds are ceding control of government institutions, gas, and oil fields to the central government.
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