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Prison housing Iraqi, Syrian IS inmates attacked in Syria

Detention facilities under US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were hit by a major attack attempting to free the thousands within.

Hasakah prison
Men suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State group sit in a prison cell in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah on Oct. 26, 2019. — FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

BAGHDAD — Mosque loudspeakers urged residents of Hasakah to stay inside in the early morning hours of Jan. 21 after an attempted jailbreak at detention facilities housing thousands of Syrian and Iraqi men suspected of being in the Islamic State.

The attack started around 10:30 PM on Thursday and the situation was still not under control as of late the next morning. Locals reported civilians fleeing from nearby areas due to clashes between IS fighters and the SDF.

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