The Syrian army told Al Jazeera Arabic that it is now in full control of the town of al-Shaddadi in northeastern Syria.
Published on January 19, 2026
The Syrian army has declared a curfew in the northeastern city of al-Shaddadi following the escape of ISIS (ISIS) fighters from the city’s prison during Kurdish-led clashes. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the state news agency, SANA.
The Syrian army told Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday that it was now in full control of the city and that the prison housing ISIL suspects was held as its forces searched al-Shaddadi and its surrounding areas for the escaped fighters.
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The Syrian Operations Authority told SANA that the Ministry of Interior would assume control of al-Aqtan prison and security facilities in the city northeast of Raqqa after the operation, claiming that the SDF had deliberately released ISIL members.
The army did not say how many soldiers were released from prison.
The SDF said in a statement that it had lost control of the prison following the attack, a claim denied by the military.
The Kurdish-led army also said nine of its members were killed and 20 others wounded in the fighting around al-Aqtan.
The statement said the United States-led coalition against ISIL did not intervene despite repeated calls to a nearby coalition base.
The curfew comes a day after the Syrian government announced that the SDF had agreed to withdraw from parts of Syria. Armistice AgreementThe most significant change in favor of President Ahmed al-Shara after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
The SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, Syria’s main oil fields and two Arab-majority provinces.
SDF chief commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) was due to arrive in Damascus on Monday. Discuss the Armistice Agreement.
Hasqah province, where al-Shaddadi is located, is largely under the control of the SDF, with its central prison housing prisoners accused of having ties to ISIL and a camp holding thousands of ISIL-affiliated prisoners.
ISIL was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries.