Sporadic clashes took place on Saturday between Kurdish forces and members of the Islamic State (IS) group near a prison in northeastern Syria, where jihadists are still entrenched, a Syrian NGO said.
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Dozens of IS fighters launched an assault on January 20 against Ghwayran prison in Hassaké, an area held by the Kurds, to free their brothers in arms.
The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheading the fight against IS in Syria, said Wednesday it had regained control of the prison after six days of intense fighting.
The OSDH, which has an extensive network of sources in Syria, reported on Saturday that “clashes outside the prison between the SDF and the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (ISF) on one side and IS members on the otherwho had been hiding in the quarters adjacent to the prison. According to the NGO, four jihadists are holding a local official and three civilians hostage in a building in the Ghwayran district.
The FDS and FSI surrounded the building, supported by American forces, while snipers took up positions on the roofs of neighboring buildings, reported an AFP videographer. According to the same source, intermittent gunfire can be heard in this area.
While Kurdish forces have regained control of the prison and scores of jihadists have surrendered or been arrested, IS members are still hiding on or around the site, refusing to admit defeat. According to the OSDH, dozens of them are in the northern part of the prison, “difficult to aim from the air or access by land“.
SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said that if they did not surrender, the Kurdish forces would resort to a solution “military“. Since January 20, Kurdish forces have prevented journalists from entering the Ghwayran neighborhood or approaching the prison.
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The IS assault, considered the largest since its defeat three years ago, has left more than 260 dead since January 20, including: 180 jihadists, 73 Kurdish fighters and police and seven civilians, according to the OSDH.