Syria accuses SDF of ‘political blackmail’ after Islamic State inmates freed

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Tue, 01/20/2026 - 07:47

Syrian government says it recaptured most escapees and accuses SDF of misinformation

Syrian government forces react as they deploy in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria on January 19, 2026, the day after an agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish forces (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)

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Syria’s Interior Ministry has accused the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of deliberately releasing fighters from Islamic State (IS) held at al-Shaddadi prison in northeast Syria, describing the move as “political and security blackmail”.

The ministry said on Tuesday that Syrian forces recaptured 81 of roughly 120 detainees who escaped.

It said the army had intentionally avoided entering the al-Shaddadi facility during recent operations under an understanding that the SDF would later hand the prison to Damascus.

According to the ministry, Syrian commanders contacted mediators and SDF leaders to arrange a transfer of the jail to state internal security forces.

The SDF rejected the request, the ministry said, before issuing a statement that sought “to mislead international opinion”.

“The Syrian government warns the SDF leadership against taking any reckless steps that would facilitate the escape of ISIS detainees or open prisons for them as a retaliatory measure or as a political pressure tactic,” the statement said.

The SDF, which continues to control sensitive detention sites despite prior understandings, disputes the government’s account.

It claims the prison break occurred after an attack by tribal fighters affiliated with the army, alleging government forces lost control of the facility. Damascus has rejected that version, saying it recovered the majority of escapees and holds the SDF responsible.

The dispute comes amid rising tensions following a ceasefire announcement that included the SDF’s withdrawal from areas west of the Euphrates.

On Tuesday, SDF commander Fawza Youssef accused the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa of failing to uphold the deal.

The SDF controls more than a dozen prisons in the northeast, where around 9,000 IS suspects have been held for years without trial.

Talks on Monday between Al Sharaa and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi ended without agreement. Damascus proposed deploying internal security forces to Hasakah, appointing Abdi as deputy defence minister and naming a governor, alongside removing Kurdistan Workers’ Party members from the area.

Al-Sharaa later spoke with Donald Trump, with both stressing Syria’s territorial unity and the protection of Kurdish rights.

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