Syrian forces hunt for ISIS fugitives after prison break

(CNN) Syrian forces are hunting ISIS fugitives after dozens escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria, the interior ministry said, as the government moves to take territory from Kurdish fighters.

Of the 120 who escaped, 81 have been captured, the ministry said Tuesday, adding that “intensive security efforts continue to track down the rest.”

Meanwhile, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a former U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS, accused the U.S.-led coalition of failing to come to its aid after it was pushed out of much of the territory it controlled in the country. On Tuesday, the SDF announced its withdrawal from a vast detention camp holding tens of thousands of ISIS-linked civilians, citing “international indifference.”

Syrian state media said US President Donald Trump spoke earlier with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to endorse Syria’s territorial integrity.

Detainees escaped from al-Shaddadi Prison on Monday as government forces wrested control of the area from the SDF, which had been the U.S.’s main local partner in the fight against ISIS that began in 2015. The SDF and the government accused each other of releasing the prisoners.

SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami told Kurdish news site Rudaw that around 1,500 ISIS members had escaped, “including both foreign and Syrian nationals,” accusing government-linked armed groups of releasing them.

CNN cannot independently verify the number of detainees that were inside the prison, nor how many escaped. The SDF said Monday that al-Shaddadi prison held “thousands” of ISIS detainees.

On Tuesday, it accused government forces of besieging al-Aqtaan Prison, north of Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees, and cutting off water supplies, holding the government responsible for “any humanitarian or security repercussions.”

Later, the SDF said it withdrew from Al-Hol camp, which holds tens of thousands of ISIS-linked families, due to “international indifference” to ISIS and “the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities in addressing this serious matter.”

Syria’s ministry of defense said the SDF abandoned Al-Hol, “effectively allowing those held inside to leave,” and that it was ready to take over the camp as well as ISIS prisons. In a separate statement, the government said it had informed the US about the situation and accused the SDF of attempting to “export a new security crisis in the area.”

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/20/middleeast/syria-isis-fugitives-prison-break-intl