On January 20, the Syrian Ministry of Interior said that about 120 people detained related to the Islamic State (IS) organization had escaped from Shaddadi prison.
This information was released after Rudaw quoted a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces led by the Kurds as saying that about 1,500 IS members had escaped prison.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, Syrian military units and special forces of the ministry entered Shaddadi after the escape. Security forces deployed sweep operations in the town and surrounding areas, arresting 81 escapees. The pursuit of the remaining people is still ongoing.
Previously, the Syrian army announced that "some" IS gunmen had escaped from the prison controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Shaddadi in the east, and accused this force of releasing detained elements.
The above developments occurred in the context that after many days of fighting with government forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir al-Zor. These are two provinces with a majority Arab population, which were controlled by this force for many years and are where Syria's main oil fields are concentrated.
Information about the number of escapees still varies between sources. While the Syrian government claims the number is about 120, Rudaw quoted Mr. Farhad Shami - spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces - as saying that the scale of the incident is much larger. Syrian authorities emphasized that security measures are being strengthened to control the situation and prevent the risk of widespread instability.
