The orange jumpsuits, discarded in a hasty trail, were the only remnants of a mass prison break. Deserted guard quarters and gates swinging in the wind painted a grim picture of the Shaddadi prison in northeastern Syria, now empty after inmates escaped in January.
This incident is a stark illustration of the monumental power shift currently unfolding in northeastern Syria. Syrian government forces have recently taken control of vast swathes of territory, formerly managed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (S.D.F.)—a Kurdish-led coalition that, with U.S. backing, had spent years combating the Islamic State and securing its prisoners and their families.
This dramatic change has thrust the critical issue of thousands of ISIS detainees and their families, held in some two dozen high-security prisons and camps since the group’s defeat in 2019, onto the plate of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. His commitment to fighting extremism is now being tested, forcing a rapid re-evaluation by the U.S.-led coalition and international allies on how to handle this volatile situation.
Following the breakout at Shaddadi on January 19, the U.S. military initiated a complex operation, transferring thousands of adult male detainees, starting with the most dangerous, to facilities in Iraq.
The Syrian government has since taken over several of these sites, including the now-deserted Shaddadi prison and the sprawling Al Hol camp. Al Hol alone once housed over 20,000 women and children, many of them family members of ISIS fighters. A New York Times team observed deserted sections of Al Hol, with tattered tents and an abandoned school building.
Caption: The empty Shaddadi prison this month after a mass escape of Islamic State detainees being held there.
The Syrian government has indicated it will not manage the prison system in the same manner as its predecessors. After assuming control of Al Hol, it permitted thousands to leave and, on Tuesday, announced the evacuation and relocation of the remaining families.
“Al Hol includes many families who are not ISIS,” including women and children displaced by the war, stated Badri al-Masloukh, deputy governor of nearby Deir al Zour Province. “Keeping them there is not a solution.”
However, the government criticized the S.D.F. for its uncoordinated withdrawal from Al Hol, claiming the 10-hour security vacuum allowed hundreds of families to escape.
Caption: Women and children at Al Hol this month.
Bashar Hassan, an independent Syrian researcher tracking ISIS, noted that the terrorist group was well-prepared to exploit this chaos. Sleeper cells in Syria and operatives from Iraq converged around January 19, primarily seeking weapons. “That mess was useful to them,” he commented.
Caption: A map of Syria highlighting Shadaddi. Aleppo, Damascus and Raqqa are also located.
Hassan revealed chatter on ISIS communication channels celebrating the escape of figures like “Um Fahad,” considered a leader among ISIS families in the camp. Lebanese families, previously in Al Hol, were also seen celebrating their recent return on social media. The organized nature of these breakouts and the swift journey of families to Lebanon, over 800 kilometers away, suggested pre-planned operations rather than accidental departures.
Caption: An Iraqi family in Al Hol Camp this month. Many Iraqis have been repatriated, but some of those in the camp said they feared going home and were hoping to be resettled in Syria.
Aid organizations expressed grave security concerns, questioning not only the escapees but also potential complicity within the Syrian security forces in facilitating the breakouts. President al-Sharaa, formerly a leader of an Al Qaeda-affiliated group, faces accusations of harboring extremists. His government denies these claims, asserting its genuine opposition to ISIS and its own history of attacks by the group.
Al Hol, a vast complex, included an annex for 6,000 non-Syrian and non-Iraqi women and children, predominantly Chinese, Russians, and Turks. This annex has reportedly been emptied. The government stated it is monitoring foreign ISIS families to prevent security threats. A steady stream of Syrian and Iraqi families left the camp by convoy until last weekend, with social media posts describing volunteers assisting their return.
Caption: Entire sections of the Al Hol camp appeared abandoned this month. It once held more than 20,000 women and children, some displaced by the war but many of them families of ISIS members.
One anonymous guard confirmed large-scale inmate evacuations between February 7 and 9, with approximately 5,000 women and children bused to camps in Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Syrian inmates, including war-displaced individuals, are being released if relatives vouch for them, assisting them in packing and dismantling their tents. The guard, speaking anonymously due to media restrictions, denied significant smuggling, reporting the arrest of two attempted smugglers.
Caption: A member of Syrian General Security forces patrols inside Al Hol camp.
At Shaddadi prison, evidence suggested outside assistance in the breakout. While the outer guards’ camp showed no signs of struggle, bullet holes on inner metal gates indicated locks were shot from the outside. The Syrian government downplayed the incident, claiming only 20 escapees remained at large.
The American transfer operation unfolded under heavy security, with warplanes overhead and armored vehicles escorting buses from Hasakah prison to military bases for flights to Iraq, according to an S.D.F. official. Within three weeks, the U.S. military reported moving 5,700 detainees, prioritizing “high value” individuals.
Khalid Shawani, Iraq’s Minister of Justice, stated on February 12 that these men would be held and tried in Baghdad under the Supreme Judicial Council, then transferred to their home countries, even if not Iraqi nationals.
Caption: A smashed portrait of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan at Shaddadi prison.
In late January, the Syrian government also took over Aqtan prison near Raqqa after a standoff with S.D.F. guards. Families then swarmed the prison, demanding releases, reminiscent of the emptying of prisons after Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December 2024.
Judge Aboud Saleh Humaidan, leading an 11-judge committee from Damascus reviewing cases, described prisons as a “sensitive issue” in Syria, with “managing popular opinion” being the greatest challenge. He noted the S.D.F.’s failure to provide inmate files, stating that many prisoners, though accused, had not been convicted. His team immediately released 126 minors and several media activists and is continuing to process other cases.
Caption: Women in Al Hol.
Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, and Alissa J. Rubin from Paris.