The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led coalition once backed by the United States, has blamed a reported prison break on the breakdown in peace talks with Syria’s transitional government for a reported prison break involving ISIS fighters.
At least 120 ISIS prisoners escaped prisons in SDF territory on Monday. Just over 80 prisoners were recaptured, but the incident forced the SDF to withdraw amid intensified fighting with government forces.
The Kurdish-led militia cast the blame on “international indifference” for its withdrawal. The prison held ISIS fighters captive during the country’s civil war.
“Due to the international indifference toward the issue of the ISIS terrorist organization and the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities in addressing this serious matter, our forces were compelled to withdraw from Al-Hol Camp and redeploy in the vicinity of cities in northern Syria that are facing increasing risks and threats,” the SDF posted on X Tuesday morning.
The Syrian government and the SDF signed a ceasefire on Sunday, but the agreement has struggled to hold as violent clashes continued. As a result, a new four-day ceasefire was announced on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen whether the temporary agreement will hold or lead to a more permanent solution, as both sides accused the other of immediately violating the prior ceasefire.
As part of the agreement, the SDF will integrate into the Syrian military and hand over its territory and infrastructure to government forces. That includes the transfer of ISIS prisons to the government.
The Syrian government said it reached an understanding with the SDF, which stated it intends to abide by the four-day ceasefire.
“We announce the full commitment of our forces to the ceasefire that was agreed upon with the government in Damascus, and we affirm that we will not initiate any military action unless our forces are subjected to any attacks in the future,” the SDF said in a statement on social media.
“We also affirm our openness to political paths, negotiated solutions, and dialogue, and our readiness to move forward with the implementation of the January 18 agreement in a manner that serves de-escalation and stability,” it added.
The development came after President Donald Trump spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, whose office said Syria remains committed to preserving the rights of the Kurds and fighting ISIS.
Trump said on Tuesday he closely followed the ISIS prisoner escape from Syrian prisons, adding al Sharaa was “working very, very hard” to fight ISIS.
When asked by a reporter what the U.S. would do to ensure Kurdish rights are protected in Syria, Trump replied, “We get along with the Kurds, and we are trying to protect the Kurds.”
The Trump administration is presently more aligned with the Syrian transitional government than the SDF. The U.S. previously coordinated with the Kurdish group to combat ISIS terrorists in Syria, leading to the caliphate’s downfall in 2019.
Tom Barrack, who serves as the U.S. special envoy to Syria, announced the Trump administration’s shift away from the SDF on Tuesday.
“Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the US on counterterrorism,” Barrack wrote on X in part. “This shifts the rationale for the US-SDF partnership: the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.”
Following the ISIS prison break, Trump posted flattering text messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hailing his actions in Syria. They did not specifically mention what Trump did that they liked, but the president welcomed their praise as he prepares to attend the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
ISIS FIGHTERS REPORTEDLY ESCAPE FROM KURDISH PRISONS AMID FIGHTING WITH GOVERNMENT
“Oh, we did a good job with Syria,” Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday. “They had a prison break. European prisoners were breaking and I got it stopped. That was yesterday.
“European terrorists were in prison. They had a prison break,” he claimed. “And working with the government of Syria and the new leader of Syria, they captured all the prisoners, put them back to jail, and these were the worst terrorists in the world, all from Europe.”