New Terror State? 400 ISIS Members on the Loose in Syria

Over the last ten days, fears of ISIS attacks in Northern Syria and neighboring countries have been on the rise, after a riot and a series of attacks by ISIS affiliates on the Ghwayran prison in the Kurdish city of Hasakah, through which many members of the terrorist group have succeeded in breaking free.

Events started on the 20th of January 2021, when a bomb car believed to have been sent by ISIS-affiliated entity exploded by the Ghwayran prison, allowing hundreds of terrorists to leave. Experts believe that the attack has been planned for a long time, citing tunnels that were dug up by ISIS prisoners to facilitate their escape after the awaited car bomb.

While Kurdish-led forces, which were trained by the US, have been able to regain control of the Ghwayran prison after six days of chaos, the threat posed by ISIS terrorists continues to linger.

Unconfirmed reports fear that around 400 ISIS members are still on the loose, many days after the Ghwayran prison fell back into the hands of Kurdish-led forces, which means that ISIS might be actively planning a number of attacks, whether in Syria or Iraq, in the hope of reorganizing and emerging as a major player in the two war-torn countries.

A recent statement by the Press Office of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) highlighted that the battle for control over the Ghwayran prison resulted in 374 ISIS deaths, 40 deaths amongst SDF fighters, 4 civilian citizens, in addition to 77 killed amongst prison Kurdish-linked staff.