Breaking into prisons and freeing militants: ISIS's priority to return on the ground
Since the international coalition forces fighting ISIS were
able to expel the terrorist organization from Iraq and Syria in 2019, the
organization has been trying to return again,
taking advantage of the security vacuum in some Arab countries.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Sunday,
June 18, that 25 prisoners of different nationalities, all of whom belong to
ISIS, escaped from a prison in the countryside of Hasakah in northeastern
Syria. This prison is affiliated with the so-called military police of the
Turkmen factions under the Turkish army in the city Ras Al-Ain in northern
Hasakah Governorate, and local sources reported that the terrorists are
expected to head into Turkish territory through the border crossing in Ras
Al-Ain.
It is worth noting that ISIS intensified its movements to
break its members out of prisons a few days after the meeting of the Ministers
of the International Coalition to Combat ISIS, which was held in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia on June 8, and during that meeting, the attendees stressed the
need to eliminate ISIS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also revealed that
his country has allocated $148.7 million to help areas liberated from the
terrorist organization improve their humanitarian conditions in both Syria and
Iraq.
Rebuilding the organization
Hesham El-Naggar, a researcher specializing in the affairs
of Islamist groups, explained that ISIS is currently focusing on storming
prisons and freeing its members and prisoners in order
to support its plan to rebuild the organization by strengthening its ranks
with ready and trained elements who have previous experience. From time to
time, a similar incident occurs that reflects a well-thought-out plan that was
planned in stages, and the aim is to weaken the grip of the Kurdish forces on
centers and prisons that house ISIS leaders and elements behind their walls,
dismantling fortifications, and gaining experience through recurring attempts
to free prisoners.
Naggar pointed out in a special statement to the Reference
that the success of the terrorist organization once encourages it later and in
a practical way to repeat the attempt again and again. In this context, ISIS
has a perception based on the weakness of its recruitment, media and propaganda
capabilities compared to the past, such that it is no longer able to recruit
new elements. Therefore, it mainly relies on recovering its members and
breaking them out of prisons.
