Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led militias have engaged in fierce clashes near a prison housing Islamic State (IS) detainees, shattering a newly announced ceasefire and raising grave fears of a major security breakdown.
Ceasefire Collapses Amid Prison Standoff
The fighting broke out on Monday in the vicinity of the al-Aqtan prison on the outskirts of Raqqa, north-eastern Syria. This occurred less than 24 hours after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared a truce with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), aiming to end the group's decade-long control of the region.
The SDF labelled the incident an "extremely dangerous development". In a statement, the force warned that attempts by pro-government factions to seize the facility "could lead to serious security repercussions that threaten stability and open the door to a return of chaos and terrorism".
In a subsequent statement carried by the state Sana news agency, the Syrian army reported that three of its servicemen were killed and others wounded in two separate attacks. It blamed "some terrorist groups" for trying to disrupt the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, without specifying the location of the attacks.
UK Nationals Among Thousands in Peril
The violence casts a stark light on the precarious situation facing the prisons and camps holding tens of thousands of alleged IS supporters across north-east Syria. The sudden pressure on the SDF raises serious questions about its ability to maintain control of these facilities.
According to Kurdish sources, two other detention centres in Raqqa city—the Taameer prison and a juvenile facility—were emptied by locals following the government's takeover of the area. The bulk of the detainees, however, are held further north-east in Kurdish-majority regions.
These include an estimated 4,500 men at the Panorama or Gweiran prison and roughly 26,000 women and children at the al-Hawl and Roj camps. Among them are about 55 men, women, and children from the UK, including Shamima Begum, many of whom have been stripped of their British citizenship.
A 'Reality Check' for UK Repatriation Policy
The escalating instability has prompted urgent calls for Western nations, including the UK, to repatriate their citizens. The human rights group Reprieve described the situation as a "reality check" for Britain's refusal to bring people home.
Maya Foa, Chief Executive of Reprieve, stated: "The volatility of the current situation demands an urgent rethink... the only safe thing to do is bring British nationals home and prosecute the adults where there is a case to answer." Other countries, including the United States, have repatriated dozens of their citizens.
The recent ceasefire deal, which also aimed to integrate the SDF into a national military structure, stipulated that the Syrian government would assume "full legal and security responsibility" for the IS camps and prisons. However, deep mistrust persists. Many Kurds fear the Damascus government, led by former rebels once linked to al-Qaeda, may loosen controls on IS networks.
This clash represents another setback for Syria's new leadership, which has struggled to assert full authority since toppling Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. A previous integration agreement in March failed to gain traction amid mutual accusations of violations.
