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21-01-2026
DAMASCUS: A Kurdish-led fighting force said on Monday it was clashing with Syrian government forces near a prison holding Islamic State group detainees on the outskirts of Raqqa city.
Earlier, the government alleged that some groups from the rebel forces had targeted and killed three army troops in Aleppo as part of “attempts to disrupt a ceasefire.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) described the clashes as a “highly dangerous development” and said that government forces seizing the prison “could have serious security repercussions that threaten stability and pave the way for a return to chaos and terrorism.”
Despite the ceasefire “factions affiliated with the Damascus government continue their attacks on SDF forces in Ain Issa, al-Shaddadi, and Raqqa,” it added.
Under a sweeping integration deal agreed on Sunday, responsibility for prisons housing IS detainees was meant to be transferred to the Syrian government.
Earlier, Syria’s military said three of its soldiers were killed and an unspecified number of others wounded in SDF attacks near Aleppo city.
A military source told media that fighting broke out between the Syrian army and SDF forces in the Bir al-A’ma area near the Tishrin Dam in the Aleppo countryside.
State news agency SANA reported “some terrorist groups from the PKK and remnants of the former regime are attempting to disrupt the implementation of the agreement by targeting Syrian Arab Army forces”.
“We announce the martyrdom of three soldiers and the injury of others following two attacks targeting deployed forces,” SANA quoted an army statement as saying.
SDF says clashes near prison in al-Shadadi holding ISIL fighters
A spokesperson for the YPG, the armed wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, says fighting is taking place around a prison in the town of al-Shadadi in Hasakah governorate.
The prison is holding thousands of ISIL members, Siyamend Ali said.
Ali said “armed groups” are involved in the attack but didn’t specify which ones.
Syria a focus as France convenes national security meeting
France will hold a national security meeting, and Syria will be among the issues discussed.
The gathering brings together military leaders and relevant cabinet ministers, media reports.
Officials in Paris have been closely following developments in Syria. Earlier, France said it is still “faithful” in its relationship with the SDF despite backing the ceasefire with the Syrian government that outlines its military integration and handover of public infrastructure.
It all started in Aleppo, and now the fighting has expanded to the northeastern parts of Syria. The army has seized areas previously under the control of the Kurdish-led SDF. This rapid sequence of events paves the way for the government to tighten its grip on this strategic, oil-rich region.
Many rounds of talks and agreements between Damascus and the SDF over the past year have yielded no implemented results. This is despite involvement from the United States in efforts to bring the two sides to common ground.
So how will this play out within Syria and the wider region?
The SDF Media Centre says despite the ceasefire, “factions affiliated with the Damascus government continue their attacks on our forces in Ain Issa, al-Shaddadi and Raqqa”.
“We affirm to public opinion that the level of threat is escalating significantly amid attempts by these factions to reach the (al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa) and seize control of it,” the center said in a statement. (Int’l News Desk)
