Officials in the United States are concerned that after the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, thousands of ISIS fighters held in Syrian prisons may be released, writes Politico.
"It's like a ticking time bomb. If Turkey does not stop its attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), we could face a mass prison break," said a senior US counterterrorism official.
The publication recalls that the US-backed SDF, a Kurdish military alliance, is responsible for holding around 9,000 ISIS fighters and nearly 50,000 people associated with them, including women and children, in prisons and temporary detention centers. for Most of the prisoners are citizens of Iraq and Syria, but there are also residents of Europe, Asia and North America.
Turkey, meanwhile, views Kurdish forces as a security threat, and Ankara-backed groups have repeatedly launched attacks against the SDF since the armed opposition seized power in Syria.
Currently, there are about 900 American soldiers in Syria, who are training SDF fighters.
