Fresh fighting has erupted in northeast Syria, shattering a fragile ceasefire just one day after it was announced. The clashes between Syrian government troops and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) centred around two prisons holding Islamic State group extremists, resulting in multiple casualties.
Ceasefire Broken Amid Prison Chaos
The violence on Monday 19 January 2026 came after a deal, signed remotely, had appeared to end days of deadly conflict. That fighting had seen government forces capture wide areas of northeast Syria from the SDF. Several SDF fighters were killed and more than a dozen wounded in the renewed battles, according to the group.
An SDF source told Sky News that talks had failed to reach a positive outcome, blaming government forces for violating the truce. The source warned that if attacks continued, SDF fighters could not disarm and would be forced to defend themselves. Further negotiations scheduled for Monday broke down as the fighting persisted.
IS Prisoners and Escapes
The SDF controls over a dozen prisons in the region, where approximately 9,000 IS members have been held for years without trial. Among the detainees are extremists linked to atrocities in Syria and Iraq following IS's declaration of a caliphate in June 2014.
The Syrian army stated that some prisoners held at Shaddadi Prison exploited the chaos to escape. The SDF admitted it had lost control of that facility, located about 50km from the Iraqi border. Separately, the group reported nine of its fighters killed and 20 wounded in battles around al-Aqtan prison, northeast of Raqqa.
International Stakes and Warnings
An Associated Press reporter noted a US convoy entering the prison area, apparently to mediate between the two sides. Washington maintains relations with both the Syrian government and the SDF.
Earlier on Monday, Damascus had issued a stern warning to the SDF command, accusing it of potentially using "cases of terrorism for political blackmail." The government statement cautioned against helping IS detainees flee or opening prisons "as a revenge measure or for political pressure," while asserting its readiness to implement international law regarding the detainees.
Although IS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, the group's sleeper cells remain active, conducting deadly attacks across both nations. The security of prisons holding its former fighters continues to be a flashpoint with regional and international implications.
