Late on March 29, ISIS prisoners started a mutiny in the Geweran Prison south of the city of al-Hasakah in northeast Syria.
A large force of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the local security forces, known as Asayish, was quickly dispatched to contain the mutiny. The force was deployed in the outskirt of the prison as well as in the nearby neighborhood of Geweran, likely to prevent any prisoner from escaping.
Several local sources reported that combat helicopters of the U.S.-led coalition are now flying over the prison’s building and firing flares.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), at least 3,000 terrorists are being held in the prison, which is being run by the SDF with support from the coalition.
While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the SDF has retaken control of the prison, some other sources said that a few prisoners have managed to break out.
On March 15, some ISIS inmates attempted to flee the Geweran Prison. However, the attempt was thwarted by security forces. Back then, local sources reported that at least ten terrorists were shot and killed inside the prison.
The SDF’s legal system is now preparing to try detained foreign ISIS fighters for the first time ever according to a recent report by the al-Monitor. This could be the reason that provoked the mutiny in the Geweran Prison.
