Syrian government takes control of al-Aqtan prison as SDF withdraws from Raqqa
Syrian government forces have taken control of al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa following an SDF withdrawal under a 4-day ceasefire. Read about the ISIS detainee concerns.
The guns have fallen silent, but the air remains thick with uncertainty. Syrian government forces officially took control of the al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa on Friday, marking a pivotal shift in the region's power dynamics. The move follows a four-day ceasefire agreement with the Kurdish-led SDF that came into effect on Tuesday night.
Syrian government al-Aqtan prison takeover and the strategic shift
According to the state-run SANA news agency, officials from the Prisons and Correctional Facilities Administration have assumed full control of the facility. The interior ministry stated it's already examining the records and conditions of the detainees inside. This transition occurred as more than 1,000 SDF personnel were granted safe passage, moving out of Raqqa in long convoys toward the city of Kobane on the border with Turkiye.
Security vacuum and the fate of ISIS detainees
Reporting from the ground, Al Jazeera noted that Syrian forces filled the power vacuum left by the retreating SDF surprisingly quickly. However, the presence of thousands of ISIL suspects remains a major concern. CENTCOM has reportedly deployed aircraft to fly high-value detainees out of northeast Syria to Iraq, fearing that the current instability could lead to a mass breakout.
Everyone is watching if Ahmed al-Sharaa will successfully and peacefully be able to offer a model for reintegrating the SDF into Syria.
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