Thousands of IS fighters imprisoned in Syria • “A locked-in army of terrorists”
Thousands of IS members are held in prisons overseen by US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.
Now, several American officials fear that IS fighters may be free – as groups supported by Turkey attack the Kurdish forces.
– Basically, this is a locked-in army of terrorists, says Joseph Votel, a former general who fought against ISto Politico.
Around 10,000 IS fighters and far more relatives are held in makeshift prisons in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, oversee the prisons and are supported by the United States.
They became an important ally for the US in the fight against IS, but are seen as a major security threat by US NATO ally Turkey.
People from all over the world in the prisons
The situation in the temporary prisons was already described before the fall of the Assad regime as critical, reports Politico. The largest part of the prisoners comes from Syria or Iraq, but a large part also comes from other parts of the world, such as Europe and the USA.
– Basically, this is a locked-in army of terrorists, says Joseph Votel, a former general who fought against IS, to Politico.
Several countries have put sticks in the wheels to get their citizens home, which has created a kind of legal limbo. Several Swedish citizens have also been brought home to Sweden.
“A ticking bomb”
In connection with the fall of the Assad regime, groups supported by Turkey have attacked the SDF, something that several high-ranking US officials view with concern – as they believe the Kurds may lose control of the prisons.
– This is the closest we have to a ticking time bomb, an anonymous US official told Politico, adding:
– If Turkey doesn’t stop these attacks, we could have a massive exodus ahead of us.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen recently said in an interview that IS is the big winner when Turkey supports the SNA’s attacks on the Kurds. At the same time, the US has struck several IS targets after the fall of the Assad regime, something it states it will continue to do.
– We will not allow IS to rebuild and take advantage of the situation in Syria, said the general of the US Central Command, Erik Kurilla in a statement.
Attempts have been made to free prisoners
At the end of 2022, IS made an attempt to free a large number of prisoners from the Gweiran prison in the city of al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria. Hundreds of prisoners rioted at the same time as heavily armed IS members attacked the prison, including with suicide bombers who set off bombs at the gates.
In total, hundreds of prisoners and soldiers were killed in connection with the uprising, and the fighting continued for just over a week before the Kurdish forces took back control.