Syria recaptures escaped ISIL prisoners amid SDF ceasefire tensions
DAMASCUS
Soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deploy with armored military vehicles to secure roads leading to Gweiran Prison, which houses men accused of being ISIL fighters in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria.
Syria's Interior Ministry announced Tuesday the recapture of 81 out of 120 ISIL detainees who escaped from al-Shaddadi prison in northeastern Hasakah province, blaming the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their release.
In statements, the ministry accused the YPG-led SDF of orchestrating the breakout.
It detailed that Syrian Army and special Interior Ministry units moved into al-Shaddadi city following the incident.
"Army and ministry forces launched a full search and sweep in and around al-Shaddadi," the statement read.
"During these operations, 81 ISIL terrorists were detained, with hunts ongoing for the rest."
Earlier Tuesday, clashes flared between Syrian government troops and SDF fighters near two ISIL-holding prisons in the northeast.
The SDF reported several of its members killed and over a dozen injured.
The skirmishes unfolded as SDF commander Mazloum Abdi reportedly visited Damascus to negotiate the Sunday ceasefire agreement, which halted intense fighting and saw government forces reclaim large northeastern territories from the SDF.
Abdi offered no public comments on the talks.
The SDF oversees more than a dozen northeastern prisons detaining around 9,000 ISIL suspects, many untried for years and linked to 2014 atrocities in Syria and Iraq after ISIL's caliphate declaration.
An Associated Press journalist spotted a U.S. convoy entering the prison zone, likely to broker between the sides, given Washington's ties to both.
Al-Sharaa's office later revealed a Monday phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, stressing Syria's territorial unity, Kurdish rights protection, and joint anti-ISIL efforts.
Damascus had cautioned the SDF against leveraging terrorism for "political blackmail," pledging adherence to international detainee laws.
"The government warns SDF leadership against aiding Daesh escapes as retaliation or pressure," a state media statement said, using the Arabic term for ISIL.
ISIL lost territorial control in Iraq by 2017 and Syria in 2019, yet its cells persist with attacks in both nations.
Separately, Türkiye dismissed allegations that ISIL terrorists were freed by the Syrian army with Ankara's backing during recent events.
"The claim is entirely baseless," Türkiye's Center for Combating Disinformation stated Monday on NSosyal.
"Türkiye has led the region's fiercest anti-ISIL fight, delivering the heaviest blows to the group."
It urged the public and neighboring allies to ignore such claims, highlighting shared regional values.
The ceasefire also mandates SDF personnel integration into Syria's defense and interior ministries after vetting, plus handover of borders, oil/gas fields, and civilian bodies to government authority.
This follows Syrian Army advances reclaiming eastern and northeastern areas, prompted by SDF's alleged breaches of prior Damascus accords from nearly a year ago.