Syria Crisis: Hundreds of ISIS Fighters Escape Shaddadi Prison Amid Fighting

RAQQA, SYRIA – Security concerns are mounting across the Middle East following reports of a massive prison break in eastern Syria.

Spokespersons for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claim that roughly 1,500 Islamic State (IS) members escaped from the Shaddadi prison during a Syrian government military advance. Damascus has disputed the scale of the escape, putting the number at approximately 120, and accused the SDF of intentionally releasing the detainees. Regardless of the exact count, Syrian state media reports that security forces have so far recaptured only 81 fugitives. The breakout comes at a critical moment as the SDF recently agreed to withdraw from oil-rich provinces, leaving a security vacuum that many fear the Islamic State will exploit.