Kurdish-Led Forces End Prison Siege, Defeating ISIS Fighters
The New York Times
The six-day battle put a spotlight on the humanitarian and security issues left unresolved after the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate was destroyed.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — After six days of deadly battles, the Kurdish-led militia that had been battling Islamic State fighters for control of a prison in northeastern Syria retook the facility on Wednesday, ending one of the most audacious attacks by the jihadist group since the collapse of its so-called caliphate nearly three years ago.
Dozens of militiamen and hundreds of ISIS fighters have been killed since the jihadists blasted their way into the prison in the city of Hasaka last week and joined rioting prisoners inside to seize control, taking the prison staff and about 700 boys detained in the facility hostage, militia officials said.
The militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F., battled ISIS sleeper cells in surrounding neighborhoods and then laid siege to the remaining militants, who gave up on Wednesday after running low on food and water.
