Syria: Kurdish forces and IS continue deadly battles for control of a prison

Syrians flee their homes in the Ghwayran neighborhood in the northern city of Hasakeh on January 22, 2022, the third day of fighting between the Islamic State (IS) group and Kurdish forces in Syria after the IS attacked a prison housing jihadists in the area.

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Fighting continued overnight from Saturday January 22 to Sunday January 23, for the third consecutive day, between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, following a major jihadist attack. against a prison, killing nearly 90 people.

But the toll could be higher, as the fate of dozens of guards and detainees remains unknown, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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With our correspondent in Beirut,

Paul Khalifeh

Kurdish forces backed by helicopters from the US-led international coalition launched an assault on Saturday evening in an attempt to retake Ghwayran prison in the city of Hassakeh.

The world's largest jihadist detention center, where 3,500 members of the Islamic State group, including top leaders,

are held fell to the extremist organization on Thursday

after a mutiny backed by a daring outside attack .

Prisoners seized garrison weapons, including vehicles topped with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers.

Kurdish forces and the international coalition on Saturday sent large reinforcements to launch the assault.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the surroundings of the prison have been taken over, however, reporting intermittent fighting in some areas.

On the other hand, the prison where hundreds of armed detainees are entrenched, joined by reinforcements from outside, was still in the hands of the Islamic State group on Saturday evening.

The American air force went into action on several occasions, bombing buildings where members of the extremist group took refuge.

More than 130 jihadists who fled prison were captured.

But dozens more managed to slip through the nets, says the UK-based NGO.

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To read also: 

In Syria, the Islamic State group has rebuilt its capacity to cause harm

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  • Syria

  • Kurds

  • Terrorism

  • IS