Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, said around 1,500 Islamic State members had escaped.
The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout. It said security forces had recaptured 81 of the escapees after search and sweep operations in the town and surrounding areas, with efforts continuing to arrest the remaining fugitives.
Earlier, the Syrian army said "a number of" Islamic State militants had escaped a prison that had been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of releasing them.
After days of fighting with government forces, the SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir al-Zor, two Arab-majority provinces they had controlled for years and the location of Syria's main oil fields.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed developments in Syria during a phone call on Monday (19 January), including Kurdish rights and cooperation against Islamic State, the Syrian presidency said.
According to the presidency, both leaders stressed the need to preserve the rights of Kurdish people within the Syrian state and agreed to continue working together to combat Islamic State.
The call came a day after Damascus signed a wide-ranging integration agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), aimed at incorporating Kurdish civilian and military structures into state institutions.
Despite the deal, tensions persisted on Monday in parts of northern Syria, underscoring the fragility of the arrangement following days of fighting.
The agreement marks a significant shift in Syria’s political and security landscape, as Damascus moves to reassert control over territory previously held by the SDF, once the main U.S. ally in the country.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent cr...
Hamas has strongly condemned new Israeli government decisions to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning the measures pose an “existen...
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the Unite...
Japan’s ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has secured a sweeping victory in Sunday’s lower house election, cementing her autho...
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Hamas has strongly condemned new Israeli government decisions to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning the measures pose an “existential threat” to Palestinians and are designed to consolidate Israeli control over the territory.
India’s trade minister said diversifying energy imports and expanding purchases of advanced technology from the United States would serve New Delhi’s strategic interests, as the two countries move closer to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
A Japanese city near Mount Fuji has cancelled its annual cherry blossom festival, saying growing numbers of badly behaved tourists are disrupting daily life for residents.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
Hamas has strongly condemned new Israeli government decisions to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning the measures pose an “existential threat” to Palestinians and are designed to consolidate Israeli control over the territory.
Two adjoining buildings collapsed in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, on Sunday (4 February), killing at least six people and trapping an unspecified number beneath the rubble, according to security sources.
The Board of Peace created by U.S. President Donald Trump will hold its first leaders meeting on 19 February in Washington, a U.S. government official confirmed, marking the board's formal debut after weeks of global scrutiny.
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, a date brought forward as indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman restart and Tehran presses its enrichment rights while ruling out missile negotiations.
Saudi Arabia and Syria have signed agreements worth about $5.3bn aimed at boosting cooperation across aviation, telecommunications and water infrastructure, marking one of the largest economic initiatives since Syria’s leadership change.
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