Hundreds were killed over the past few days after Islamic State militants attacked Gweiran prison late Thursday, trying to free nearly 3,500 ISIS prisoners held by the U.S. -allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria.
The Gweiran prison in al-Hasakah is under siege following the ISIS raid who SDF officials said was coordinated between IS jihadists and detainees inside the jail, which is also known as al-Sina’a prison.
ISIS insurgents, armed with heavy machine guns and vehicles rigged with explosives, attacked the prison Thursday evening, aiming to free their comrades. The fighting started with a car bomb near the prison, followed by two more blasts later, witnesses and officials said.
Over 400 prisoners initially escaped but “most” had been recaptured, according to Farhad Shami, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Between 3,000 and 4,000 ISIS prisoners, including children, ISIS commanders and figures considered among the most dangerous are detained at the facility.
On Friday, Kurdish forces were trying to retake the northern part of the prison, where inmates remained in control and attempted a second escape.
The SDF was also attacking in the nearby Zuhour neighborhood, where ISIS fighters were holed up. Fighting in the area was intense and movement slow after militants reportedly boobytrapped houses with explosives and were using civilians as human shields, Shami said. Coalition helicopters and other aircraft carried out strikes during the battle, including in Zuhour and on the prison, he added.
Exact figures for the number of ISIS fighters taking part in the assault and the number of casualties from the fighting are unclear. But according to the SDF, at least 170 suspected ISIS militants, 27 members of its troops and seven civilians have been killed since the beginning of the attack. Save the Children, which has provided support to the prisoners over the past three years, said audio testimony indicated multiple children held in the compound were likely among those killed.
The Pentagon also confirmed that the U.S. had conducted airstrikes to aid SDF allies on the ground.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS AFTERMATH SCENES FROM INSIDE THE PRISON WALLS WHICH MAY BE GRAPHIC TO SOME USERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
