At least 200 IS prisoners have escaped from a prison in northern Syria's Hasakah province

At least 200 IS prisoners have escaped from a prison in northern Syria's Hasakah province.The prisoners escaped from Shaddadi prison amid clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish rebel Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters on Monday (January 19). The government of President Ahmed al-Sharar alleged that the SDF released the prisoners. At the same time, the government forces are conducting an operation to find the prisoners. The government has said that 123 prisoners out of 200 have been detained. Government forces are rapidly advancing towards the SDF-held town of Hasakah, alongside a crackdown on IS detainees. As a result, questions have been raised as to whether the cease-fire will hold after weeks of fightingPresident Ahmed al-Shara announced a ceasefire and full integration deal with the Kurdish-led SDF last Sunday (January 18) in a bid to restore state authority in northeastern Syria. According to information published by the Syrian state news agency Sana, the agreement will see an immediate and complete ceasefire on all fronts and communication lines between government forces and the SDF. Read more: 'Crime against Iranians', Pahlavi will judge Khamenei in the future! Under intense military pressure, the SDF agreed to withdraw from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are Arab-majority provinces they have controlled for years and are home to Syria's main oil field. However, on Monday (January 19), a day after the ceasefire, clashes broke out again between government forces and rebel SDF fighters. IS prisoners escape from prison amid clashes. The Syrian Interior Ministry blamed the SDF for the incident, calling it "political blackmail". According to the agreement, the SDF was to later hand over control of the prison to Damascus authorities, the Syrian army said. Army leadership has already contacted mediators and requested SDF commanders to hand over the prison to government security forces. However, the concerned ministry said that the SDF rejected the proposal. Also Read: 'Gaza Committee' Can't Have Qatari, Turkish Troops: Netanyahu The ministry alleged that the SDF had deliberately released IS prisoners and made false statements about the situation to mislead the international community. The statement added that despite the agreement, the SDF continues to refuse to hand over important and sensitive prisons. The SDF, on the other hand, claimed that the army lost control of the prison after an attack by tribal fighters affiliated with the army, which led to the escape of prisoners. More time news US strikes 'large-scale' against IS in Syria international 11 January 2026 US strikes 'large-scale' against IS in Syria Six killed in Syrian army-SDF counterattack in Aleppo international 11 January 2026 Six killed in Syrian army-SDF counterattack in Aleppo Yemeni separatist group STC disbanded, announcement unilateral international 9 January 2026 Yemeni separatist group STC disbanded, announcement unilateral 15 killed in clashes between government forces and rebels in Aleppo, Syria international 8 January 2026 15 killed in clashes between government forces and rebels in Aleppo, Syria President Ahmed al-Shara announced a ceasefire and full integration agreement with the Kurdish-led SDF last Sunday (January 18) in order to restore state authority in northeastern Syria. According to information published by the Syrian state news agency Sana, the agreement will include an immediate and complete ceasefire on all fronts and communication lines between government forces and the SDF