QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A year has passed since ISIS sleeper cells launched a large-scale attack on al-Sina’a prison in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. At the time, the prison held about five thousand ISIS militants. The attack demonstrated that ISIS’ operations had evolved, shifting from a war of attrition to large-scale attacks.
The goal of the al-Sina’a attack was to liberate ISIS’ imprisoned brethren, and to reorganize. It was the group’s most daring and violent operation since its self-proclaimed caliphate was defeated at Baghouz, Deir ez-Zor, in March 2019.
Timeline and results of the attack
On December 25, 2021, the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) Media Center announced the arrest of Muhammad Abid al-Awad, aka Rashid, one of ISIS’ leaders – and the mastermind and logistics officer behind the assault one month later.
The SDF described the arrest of Rashid, in addition to 14 men being trained as suicide bombers, as one of the most complex security operations it had conducted to date. The jihadist group had been planning the attack for months.
However, though the mastermind was behind bars, his plan went ahead. ISIS launched a large scale assault on the prison with between 200-300 militants, according to an SDF statement.
ISIS attackers infiltrated and positioned themselves throughout Hasakah’s southern neighborhoods of Ghweiran, al-Nashwa, al-Zuhoor, as well as in al-Furat University’s Economics Faculty building, adjacent to the prison. It then carried in suicide vests and three car bombs in order to launch the attack.
On the night of January 20, one of the cars was detonated in front of the main gate of the prison, followed by attacks from three directions, Newroz Ahmad, of the SDF general command, revealed at a press conference after the SDF took control of the prison. ISIS militants brought in a car loaded with weapons and ammunition in order to take control of the prison.
The assault occurred in tandem with an uprising by detainees within al-Sina’a. The SDF imposed a security cordon around the prison that night and announced ‘Operation People’s Hammer’, with the stated goal of retaking the prison. Clashes followed.
Meanwhile, the Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) imposed a complete curfew throughout Hasakah, closing the roads in and out of the city.
Mass displacement of residents in the al-Ghweiran, al-Zohoor, al-Nashwa, and al-Villat al-Humr neighborhoods followed the fighting. Most fled into the central and northern neighborhoods of Hasakah.
ISIS militants prevented the departure of more than 289 families from the al-Zuhoor neighborhood, west of the prison, who were attempting to reach areas held by the SDF. They were only liberated later, when the SDF conducted combing operations in the neighborhood.
SDF sources noted that they had discovered tunnels dug by ISIS cells inside houses in al-Ghweiran and al-Zuhoor to support the attack.
Within the prison, ISIS militants were establishing a regime of terror. According to the SDF, seven detainees were killed by fellow ISIS members as they attempted to surrender to the SDF.
After 10 days of fighting, the SDF declared 374 enemy combatants dead, while the remaining ISIS members surrendered.
The battle claimed the lives of 121 non-ISIS people, including 77 employees of the prison, 40 SDF fighters, and four civilians.
Backgrounds of the attack
One of the likely goals of the attack was for ISIS to reclaim its formers strength and retrieve important leaders who had served as the group’s vanguard in previous years.
Newroz Ahmad claims that had the terrorist group succeeded in its assault, it would have continued the attack on the al-Ghweiran and al-Zuhoor neighborhoods as well as on facilities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). They would have likely attacked other areas in Hasakah, as well as on Hawl Camp, Shaddadi, and Deir ez-Zor.
According to seized documents and confessions from arrested ISIS members, the attack on the al-Sina’a prison was prepared long in advance and intended to revive the extremist organization.
ISIS also made use of Turkish attacks on northeast Syria in order to ease the chokehold placed on the group and lay the ground for a revitalized jihadist outfit, added Ahmad.
According to the SDF commander, some of the attackers on al-Sina’a prison came from Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad areas under the control of the Turkish forces, while others arrived from Iraq, stressing that the attack was planned outside of Syria.
Ahmad placed a majority of the blame for the attack on Turkey, which ensures ISIS’ survival by supporting them and continuing the attacks on the region, she said.
Security Operations
As ISIS regroups and gains strength, especially following the attack on the al-Sina’a prison, the SDF – in coordination with the US-led Global Coalition – has conducted several operations against ISIS sleeper cells in northeast Syria.
‘Operation Humanity and Security’ was launched on August 25, 2022, in Hawl Camp, home to thousands of ISIS-linked families.
During the three-week operation, the SDF arrested 226 people, including 36 women involved in killings and intimidations, and discovered 25 trenches and tunnels. It also seized large amounts of weapons, ammunition, and communication devices.
On December 26, 2022, ISIS militants attacked an Asayish security center in Raqqa, killing three Asayish members and three SDF fighters. One of the ISIS attackers was killed, and another, who was carrying a suicide vest, was arrested.
Following this attack, on December 29, 2022, the SDF and the Coalition launched Operation ‘Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt’, targeting ISIS sleeper cells in the Hasakah and Qamishli countryside.
The SDF arrested 154 ISIS militants and confiscated large amounts of weapons and equipment during the operation. It also said to have thwarted a number of attacks that were supposed to be launched from these areas.
A constant threat
Since early 2023, there have been 20 attacks by ISIS. Of these, 15 were conducted in AANES-held areas and five in Syrian government-held areas, according to North Press’ Monitoring and Documentation Department.
In 2022, ISIS claimed responsibility for 188 attacks in the AANES-held areas – most of them in eastern Deir ez-Zor.
In a report published by Sky News, experts opined that ISIS once held sway over about a third of Syria and 40% of Iraq – an area larger than Iceland. The extremist group’s influence has waned, but it continues to pose a threat.
The report showed that ISIS is intending to free tens of thousands of its members from Syrian prisons in 2023.
“Blink and you’ll miss it, and suddenly ISIS will be back,” Middle East expert Shiraz Maher commented.
“The Syrian Democratic Forces have repeatedly said that this is a ticking time bomb that they are sitting on [and that] they are not capable of dealing with themselves,” Maher said.
He expressed concern regarding ISIS’ return, saying, “If ISIS returns to Syria and Iraq, people will die on the streets of Berlin, London, and Madrid.”
The Sky News report further highlights concerns over a potential Turkish ground attack in Syria that “could create the perfect environment for ISIS to once again seize power.”
SDF leaders repeatedly said that current circumstances, especially the ongoing Turkish attacks against the region, negatively impact their forces’ ability to adequately fight the terrorist organization.
They stressed that any external attack on their region would force the SDF to suspend operations and focus all their resources on defending their people, which surely would aid ISIS in regaining its strength.
A year ago, SDF was able to halt what could have been a catastrophic ISIS attack, though at great cost to their forces. Experts may wonder what would have been the outcome had the SDF not been able to counter this assault. They may soon find out.