Urgent: Kurdish Forces Guarding ISIS Prison Under Attack by Syrian Government and Extremist Groups
Photo courtesy of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued urgent alerts reporting that Shaddadi prison in Syria’s Hasaka Province—where thousands of high-risk Islamic State detainees are held—came under coordinated attack. According to reports from the area, the assault involved Syrian government forces backed by multiple Islamist armed factions operating nearby, including groups linked to Al-Qaeda.
Syria’s current leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, rose to prominence as a senior Al-Qaeda figure before later attempting to recast himself as a national political leader. A local observer said the attackers were seeking to free detainees they described as “their sons” from SDF custody.
The SDF said it requested immediate assistance from the U.S.-led international coalition, which maintains forces roughly a mile and a half from the prison, but received no response. Residents expressed concern that the lack of intervention could allow Islamic State to regroup, fueling suspicions that the United States and its partners were unwilling to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
At the same time, fighting was reported around the border city of Kobane, approximately 150 miles from Shaddadi. The SDF said it repelled several assaults but sustained heavy casualties, with dozens of fighters killed. According to the group, repeated appeals to the U.S.-led coalition for support again went unanswered. Additional clashes were reported near Al-Aqtan prison outside Raqqa, another major ISIS detention site, raising fears that further breaches could plunge the region back into instability.
Syria’s defense ministry denied attacking detention facilities, stating that government forces were deployed only to secure areas surrounding Al-Aqtan prison and had not entered Shaddadi. The SDF, however, reported further losses near Al-Aqtan, including nine fighters killed and twenty wounded.
Amid renewed fighting and following recent negotiations, Syrian government forces loyal to al-Sharaa rapidly moved into territory vacated by the SDF, consolidating control across much of northern and eastern Syria. In Raqqa, internal security forces and military police established checkpoints overnight and cleared remaining SDF units from the city. The SDF later said it lost control of Shaddadi prison after assaults by Damascus-aligned factions, alleging that guards were killed and some beheaded. The Syrian army acknowledged that dozens of ISIS prisoners escaped during the chaos.
There were also reports that other detention centers in Raqqa, including Taameer prison and a juvenile facility, were emptied or compromised.
Tensions have been especially high around Kobane. Under the terms of a recent agreement, the city was to be secured by locally recruited forces, but Damascus has continued efforts to centralize authority. Despite a declared ceasefire, the SDF accused government forces of ongoing pressure and provocations in Kurdish-held areas. Turkey publicly welcomed the Syrian army’s offensive, increasing pressure on Kobane and other border regions.
The agreement, signed on January 18, 2026, between al-Sharaa and the SDF, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of SDF forces east of the Euphrates, and the transfer of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor to Damascus. It also outlined the integration of vetted SDF personnel into Syria’s defense and interior ministries and transferred legal and security responsibility for ISIS detention facilities—including Al-Hawl camp—to the Syrian government.
Although Turkey did not launch a full ground invasion, it continued sustained military operations involving drones and artillery during the period leading up to the ceasefire. On January 18, the SDF reported a Turkish drone strike on Mount Kazwan (Abdulaziz Mountain) south of Hasaka, accompanied by artillery fire. Additional strikes on January 17–18 reportedly targeted SDF positions near Maskanah and Tabqa in eastern Aleppo province, coinciding with the height of the Syrian government offensive.
The SDF and local monitoring groups also reported that Turkish drones conducted aerial surveillance and provided operational support to Syrian army units and allied tribal forces during advances into Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
In summary, the SDF says it is facing coordinated attacks by Damascus-backed and Al-Qaeda-linked forces aimed at freeing ISIS detainees, while Turkey—a NATO member—has provided military pressure and fire support during the offensive.
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