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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants rioted inside a prison in Hasaka province on Monday, the latest of several disturbances at the facility.
Detainees at Sanaa prison, run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasaka’s Geweran neighborhood reportedly began rioting on Monday night.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a riot erupted as prisoners demanded “fair trials” and to see their families.
According to SOHR, the prisoners tried to break down the walls and doors of the prison, with “casualties” reported.
US-led coalition helicopters were flying over the city at “low altitude”, the monitor added.
The prison has seen several disturbances in recent months, with two riots taking place in March. More riots took place in May.
Somewhere between 3,000-5000 prisoners from around 50 nationalities are held in the prison, most of whom were detained by Kurdish and coalition forces in the last ISIS stronghold of Baghouz in March 2019.
There are currently more than 10,000 suspected ISIS members held in SDF prisons across northeast Syria.
Syria’s official state news agency SANA reported that the riot erupted after a “senior US official” visited the prison.
SDF-affiliated new agency NPA shared footage of military reinforcements arriving at the prison to control the scene.
Kurdish forces have repeatedly called on the international community to take responsibility for foreign ISIS militants held in SDF-run prisons, as well as their families housed in nearby camps.
“We believe that the international coalition forces and the international community have a responsibility to find a solution to the issue of detained ISIS members, provide more support for greater security measures, and improve the conditions of detainees inside prisons in northern and eastern Syria,” SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel said on May 3.
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