Bloody Al-Hasakah attack renews fears of strong ISIS resurgence in Syria and Iraq
At the end of 2021, international
security agencies warned against the return of ISIS in Syria with force through
active elements preparing to commit major terrorist operations, and these
warnings were fulfilled with the bloody attack on Thursday, January 20, as the
organization’s elements attacked the Gwaryan prison in the Syrian city of
Al-Hasakah designated for the detention of ISIS elements and leaders, which is
under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The attack caused the
death of a number of security forces and the escape of prisoners as well, in
addition to the deaths of a number of civilians.
Ghwaryan prison houses about 3,500
prisoners, mainly ISIS elements and leaders, and is the largest prison for the
terrorist organization in the world.
Details of the
bloody attack
The ISIS attack began in the last
hours of the night of Thursday, January 20, with the detonation of car bombs
near the main gate of the prison, followed by the outbreak of violent clashes
with light weapons between the security forces responsible for guarding the
prison and the attackers after they infiltrated the prison perimeter from the
Al-Zohour neighborhood in southern Al-Hasakah.
These clashes resulted in thwarting
the attempt of ISIS to reach the prison entrance and their retreat after
targeting fuel tanks and three fuel cisterns at the Sadkob Corporation near the
prison, but this did not last long, as ISIS elements were able to take
advantage of the attack and seek cover from the rising smoke of burning fuel to
prevent coalition forces from pursuing them.
Aircraft belonging to the
international coalition against ISIS, along with the SDF, participated in
flying over the prison extensively to control the matter, but to no avail.
The media center of the SDF confirmed
that the fugitive ISIS elements burned blankets and plastic materials in an
attempt to cause chaos before escaping, adding that a number of the attackers
fled to the Al-Zohour neighborhood near the prison and hid in civilian homes.
In a related context, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights monitored an increase in the death toll from the
terrorist incidents in Ghwaryan prison and its surroundings in the city of
Al-Hasakah, as the death toll rose to 41, including 20 from the Internal
Security Forces, counterterrorism forces and prison guards, 16 from ISIS, and
five civilians.
One of the
largest terrorist attacks
Syrian political activist Laith
Mohamed confirmed that the terrorist attack carried out by ISIS elements on the
Gwaryan prison in Al-Hasakah is one of the largest terrorist attacks carried
out by the organization since 2017, and this attack will have major terrorist
risks to Syria, the region and neighboring countries, as the terrorist
organization asserts that it is able to regain its activity.
In an exclusive statement to the
Reference, Mohamed explained that the ISIS elements that escaped from the
prison will pose a great danger to the security of Syria and Iraq, because
these elements will be a great pressure force, and it is expected that a number
of violent terrorist attacks will be carried out in the coming period.
Mohamed added that the first reason
for this attack was choosing the wrong place for the prison, as it is known
that Al-Hasakah is one of the largest incubator cities for ISIS in Syria, so a
prison should not have been established for them there, despite the knowledge
of the SDF that this area contains a large number of ISIS cells.
