"Earthquake Chaos Unleashes Horror in Northwestern Syria: Escaped IS Militants and Aid Dilemma"

Dozens of Islamic State (IS) fighters have broken out of a prison in northwestern Syria amidst the chaos caused by Monday's earthquake in neighboring Turkey. The jail, which holds around 2,000 prisoners, of which 1,300 are IS members, saw at least 20 prisoners escape after launching a mutiny during the disaster. The jailbreak highlights the increased chaos and suffering in the already war-torn region of northwest Syria.

The region has been devastated by a decade-long civil war, which has forced 4.5 million residents to live under constant airstrikes and ground fighting. Half of the population is estimated to have been displaced several times and lacks access to basic necessities such as clean water and fuel.

The quake's destruction in the region has been described as worse than some of the most dire wartime bombings by the rescue workers from the White Helmets. The only land crossing from Turkey into Syria, Bab al-Hawa, which could provide aid to the affected areas, has been damaged by the earthquakes and the UN does not have a clear idea of when it will reopen.

The Syrian regime, which is under global sanctions for its war crimes during the civil war, is insisting that it alone be responsible for delivering aid in the country. The regime has a stranglehold on aid supplies and is unlikely to assist the rebel-held areas in the northwest. The US has ruled out giving aid directly to Damascus, and the UK has said it will give aid directly to the White Helmets in northwestern Syria.

However, experts say the level of aid required is enormous, and almost unfathomable. "For northwestern Syria, this earthquake represents a crisis within a crisis," explained Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC. "The scale of the needed response is huge."