ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior security official at al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa has appealed to the international community and the United States-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) to formally assume control of the facility, warning that worsening humanitarian and security conditions threaten both guards and detainees.
Chiya Kobane, head of security at al-Aqtan prison, made the appeal in a video message released on Thursday, saying the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) can no longer sustain operations at the prison and are seeking international guarantees to return safely to their areas in northeast Syria (Rojava).
“We have protected al-Aqtan prison until now, but it has reached its limit. Water and electricity are cut off, fuel is gone, and food supplies are running low,” Kobane said, adding that they request “an international party to take over the prison so that we can reach our safe zones under international guarantees.”
Since mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups have advanced into areas held by the SDF in eastern Aleppo, as well as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The escalating tensions have raised concerns among Kurds in Rojava, particularly amid reports that Damascus-affiliated factions facilitated the prison break of a significant number of ISIS members previously held in SDF-secured detention facilities.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday announced that it had transferred 150 ISIS militants from northeastern Syria to Iraq, with plans to increase the number to 7,000.
Al-Aqtan prison holds approximately 2,000 ISIS militants, many of whom are considered among the group’s most dangerous members. Although the Syrian Arab Army has taken control of Raqqa, the facility continues to be guarded by the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) - affiliated with the SDF - and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the SDF.
The SDF functions as the de facto military force in Rojava and, until November - when Damascus joined the anti-ISIS coalition - served as the alliance’s sole on-the-ground partner, playing a key role in ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
Kobane said SDF forces remained at the prison despite escalating attacks due to what he described as a humanitarian responsibility.
“As SDF forces, we were guarding al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa. Everyone knows these ‘gangs’ [ISIS prisoners] posed a threat to humanity. In recent days, Raqqa was attacked and forces withdrew to protected areas, but we saw there was an ISIS prison here. We had a humanitarian duty, so we decided to stay and protect this prison,” he said.
“We want to hand over the prison to an international force, or the global coalition forces, so we can return to our areas safely and with guarantees,” he said.
He added that the prison is currently under direct attack.
“We are currently under heavy attack. We have protected the prison so far, but from now on, we request an international party to take responsibility for the prison and guarantee our return,” Kobane said.
Journalists present in the area have also reported severe shortages. On Wednesday, Gule Hoshang told Rudaw that food supplies are nearly exhausted.
“There is only some dry food available without bread, which might not last for more than a day or two,” she said.
On Tuesday, Dijwar Kobane, a journalist inside the prison, said ISIS detainees had attempted to escape during the early stages of the fighting.
“At the beginning of the attack on Raqqa and its surroundings, a number of ISIS militants tried to escape. They even broke a prison gate, but they were brought under control and prevented from fleeing,” he said.
Kobane noted that the prison houses a large number of foreign ISIS fighters.
“There are Saudis, Uzbeks, Egyptians - a large number of foreign militants are inside the prison,” he said.
Al-Aqtan prison was constructed by the global coalition, with its security entrusted to the SDF. Following renewed clashes and attacks by the Syrian Arab Army and groups loyal to Damascus, detainees have reportedly made repeated attempts to escape.
The ISIS militants held at al-Aqtan were captured in Baghouz, the group’s final stronghold in Syria. The town was liberated by the SDF on March 23, 2019, marking the defeat of ISIS in Deir ez-Zor.