Syria: A deadly war is raging between ISIL, Kurdish forces | Syrian War News

The fighting took place for the third day in the middle of Saturday ISIL (ISIS) is Kurdish troops in Syria terrorists have bombed a prison that housed members of an armed group that has killed more than 70 people so far.

The beating of the Ghwayran prison north of the city of Hasakeh is one of the most significant in ISIL since its “caliphate” was announced to have been conquered in Syria about three years ago.

“At least 28 Kurdish security personnel, five civilians and 45 IS members have been killed,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, commander of the UK military’s Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

ISIL launched an offensive Thursday against the nearly 3,500 suspected prison members, including some of its leaders, the Syrian Observatory said.

The militants “seized the weapons they found” in the prison and released several of their fellow fighters, said the superintendent, who relies on the contents of war-torn Syria for more information.

Hundreds of prisoners were again arrested, but most were still free.

With the help of US-led warplanes, Kurdish forces surrounded the prison and fought to regain control of the surrounding areas, which the military had been using as a starting point for their attacks.

The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday said it was continuing “security operations in the city of Hasakeh and along the Ghwayran prison” with the help of allies and Kurdish security forces.

The violence took place mainly in the neighboring areas north of Ghwayran, where it carried out terrorist attacks and “killed several IS militants who attacked the prison”.

The military said on Friday in its Amaq website that it was attacking the prison “releasing prisoners”.

‘Fat target’

ISIL has been carrying out anti-Kurdish terrorist attacks and the government’s demands on Syria since their former government was overthrown in March 2019.

Many terrorists have been at odds with the military’s demands and oil reserves in rural areas, but the end of Hasakeh’s prison may be a new step in the re-emergence of the movement.

It is not known if the beating of the prison was part of a joint operation that took place in connection with the attack on an army in neighboring Iraq – or local ISIL cell actions.

An expert at the Newlines Institute in Washington, Nicholas Heras, said the military was monitoring the prison to increase its capacity.

“[ISIL] “It wants to continue to be a terrorist and terrorist organization, and to do so we need more fighters,” he told AFP.

“Prison respite provides a good opportunity for ISIS to regain power in its hands, and Ghwayran prison is a good target for ISIS because it is overcrowded.”

The prospect of a repeat of the attack is still real, said Colin Clarke, director of research at the New York-based Soufan Center think-tank.

“SDF needs a comprehensive approach to addressing this risk,” he said.

12,000 ISIL suspects

Kurdish officials have long warned that they do not have the power to stop, let alone prosecute thousands of ISIL fighters who have been arrested for years.

According to Kurdish officials, more than 50 countries are represented in several Kurdish-run prisons, where more than 12,000 ISIL members are currently detained.

Many countries from ISIL inmates have been reluctant to return them, fearing that people will return to their homes.

Abdulkarim Omar, the independent foreign policy chief, condemned the beating of ISIL prisons for “the failure of nations around the world to fulfill their responsibilities”.

The war in Syria began in 2011 and killed nearly half a million and tens of millions of refugees.

Local officials say ISIL’s support has grown with their anger against Kurdish officials who accuse them of electing a large number of Arabs under their control, many of whom oppose his policy of forcing people into military service.

The Kurdish-led group has denied any allegations of harassment of local Arabs and seeks to end the old grievances against the minority during the many years of Arab rule.

ISIL controlled the territories of Syria and Iraq until it was expelled from the region in 2017-19 by the enemy, including a coalition led by the US, SDF, and Iraqi forces. ISIL cells continue to commit atrocities in both countries.