The army said it had regained full control of the city and the prison holding suspected ISIL detainees, and that troops were conducting search operations in al-Shaddadi and surrounding areas to track down the escaped fighters
The Syrian army has imposed a curfew in the northeastern city of al-Shaddadi following the escape of ISIL (ISIS) fighters from a local prison amid clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), state news agency SANA reported.
Speaking to Newsmen on Monday, the army said it had regained full control of the city and the prison holding suspected ISIL detainees, and that troops were conducting search operations in al-Shaddadi and surrounding areas to track down the escaped fighters.
The Syrian Operations Authority also told SANA that the Ministry of Interior would take over control of the al-Aqtan prison and other security facilities in the city, northeast of Raqqa, after the operation. It further alleged that the SDF had deliberately released ISIL members.
The army did not disclose how many detainees had escaped.
In a statement, the SDF said it lost control of the prison following an attack by Syrian government forces, a claim the military has denied.
The SDF added that nine of its fighters were killed and 20 others wounded in clashes around the al-Aqtan prison.
The Kurdish-led force also said the US-led coalition fighting ISIL did not intervene despite repeated requests to a nearby coalition base.
The curfew was announced a day after the Syrian government said the SDF had agreed to withdraw from parts of the country under a ceasefire deal, marking a major shift in favour of President Ahmed al-Sharaa following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Under the agreement, the SDF on Sunday consented to withdraw from Raqqa and Deir Az Zor, Syria’s main oil-producing region and two Arab-majority provinces the group had controlled for years.
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