"Ticking time-bomb": US fears ISIS jailbreak from Syrian prisons

U.S. officials are increasingly worried about the risk of a mass escape of thousands of Islamic State fighters from makeshift prisons in Syria that are being managed by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

The recent fall of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has resulted in political and military fractions fighting over control of various parts of the country. Caliber.Az reports on an article published by Politico, which recalls that many countries have refused to repatriate their citizens who joined ISIS from those prisons, controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

According to the article, the prisons house approximately 9,000 ISIS fighters, along with 50,000 members of their family, mostly women and children. While the majority of detainees are from Iraq and Syria, others come from Europe, Central Asia, and North America and have remained in legal limbo as their home countries resist taking them back. Politico has cited a former US commander, who described the detainees as a "terrorist army in detention" and warned of the consequences of a potential breakout.

Caliber.Az recalls, that the U.S. remains a key ally to the SDF, which Ankara considers a security threat and being closely affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants at home, whom both Washington and Ankara consider a "terrorist" group. 

Efforts are underway to extend a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the SDF and Turkish-backed forces around Manbij, a key northeastern city. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi has called for continued talks and proposed a demilitarized zone under U.S. supervision to reduce tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Ankara to support the ceasefire and strengthen regional stability.

By Nazrin Sadigova