HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – 29-year-old Wael al-Afar, who lives with his family in a house that is only 3 kilometers from a jail in the town of Shaddadi south of Hasakah where thousands of Islamic State Organization (ISIS) members are held, has constant fears of ISIS return in light of ongoing Turkish threats to launch a military operation on Syrian north.
Recently, Wael’s fears have increased, as a result of the Turkish President’s remarks of a potential military operation against areas in northern Syria, including Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
He fears that ISIS detainees may manage to escape the prison or sneak into neighborhoods as happened a few months ago in al-Sinaa prison.
“Due to Turkish threats against northeast Syria, we, as residents of this area, fear the return of the terrorist ISIS and its spread in the area,” al-Afar said.
The Turkish threats increase fears of Shaddadi residents of ISIS return. They believe that ISIS sleeper cells will exploit these attacks to break ISIS detainees from prisons and control the town again.
Northeast Syria includes many prisons which held thousands of ISIS members. Most notably, Shaddadi and al-Sinaa prisons.
Shaddadi Central Prison is 3 km northeast of the town. It holds ISIS members who were previously arrested by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which periodically announce arresting more ISIS members and leaders in the city.
On May 23, Erdogan announced taking steps to complete the so-called remained portions of the “safe zone” plan along Turkey’s southern border saying, “We will soon take new steps regarding the incomplete portions of the project we started on the 30 km deep safe zone we established along our southern border.”
The Turkish “safe zone” is an area of 30-35 km (19-22 miles) deep into Syrian territory that Turkey started establishing in 2019 to house Syrian refugees in an area along its border with Syria, as well as to keep it free from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it regards as terrorists.
On May 25, Turkey’s National Security Council said that Turkey’s “existing and future military operations along its southern borders were necessary for the country’s security.” In the meeting, Erdogan delivered a speech to the MPs of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and said, “Turkish military would continue to rid its neighbour of terrorists” refers to the SDF.
On June 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats of launching a military operation on northern Syria, and specified his targets in the two Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat, which include many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). After years of the military expulsion of the ISIS from Shaddadi, the ISIS is still targeting SDF’s posts from time to time. In addition, it targeted the US-led Global Collation to Defeat ISIS inside the town with several missiles during the past few months.
Following battles between the Syrian government forces on one hand and Syrian opposition factions and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) on the other in February 2013, the government lost control over Shaddadi.
During those battles, infrastructure was destroyed and government facilities were looted.
A year later, ISIS launched a violent attack against the opposition factions, resulting in fierce battles that ended up with ISIS taking control over the town.
In 2016, the SDF, with support of the US-led Global Coalition, managed to expel the ISIS from Shaddadi and take control over it.
50 year-old Saleh al-Khlief, another resident from Shaddadi, said “The Turkish attacks on northeast Syria provide an opportunity to revive ISIS.”
On January 20, al-Sinaa Prison, where thousands of ISIS detainees were held, was attacked by the ISIS sleeper cells in an attempt to escape ISIS detainees.
As a result, strong clashes erupted between the SDF and ISIS that lasted about ten days, until the SDF and Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) managed to regain control over the prison with air support of the US-led Global Coalition.
“In the past, we suffered from ISIS, and we do not want to witness that again,” al-Khlief said.
He stressed, “The ISIS return to the area will have a catastrophic impact on the region and on the world in general.”