Syria Ceasefire Amidst Clashes and Prison Breaks

Syria's army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reported fresh clashes in the country's north-east, a day after a ceasefire deal was agreed. The 14-point agreement, signed on Sunday, will see the SDF withdraw from Raqqa and Deir al-Zour provinces and be integrated into state institutions. The deal is seen as a major blow to the SDF, which had been reluctant to give up its autonomy. The clashes come as government forces advanced into areas previously controlled by the SDF, with the army announcing it had entered Shaddadi, in Hassakeh province. The SDF said the prison had 'fallen outside the control of our forces' following repeated attacks. The agreement follows months of stalled negotiations and is seen as a significant step towards reunifying Syria. President Ahmed al-Sharaa hailed the deal as a 'victory for all Syrians', while SDF commander Mazlum Abdi said the fighting had been 'imposed on us' and that he had accepted the deal 'to stop the bloodshed'.

ISIS detainees escaped from a Syrian prison during a chaotic handover between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government forces. The incident occurred at Al-Shaddadi prison in Syria's Hasakah province after a ceasefire was brokered. The SDF had agreed to withdraw from two Arab-majority provinces and transfer responsibility for prisons holding ISIS detainees to the Syrian government. Local residents broke out around 200 ISIS detainees, mostly low-level local fighters, as SDF guards abandoned the prison. The US military had worked with the SDF to relocate the most dangerous foreign ISIS detainees to more secure prisons ahead of the ceasefire. The Syrian army imposed a curfew and launched security operations to locate remaining escapees. The US military is monitoring the situation closely and has boosted its presence in the region.

US Senator Jim Risch warns Syria's new president Ahmed al-Sharaa against committing atrocities against Kurdish forces during a fragile ceasefire. Risch emphasizes that the Syrian government's actions on the ground must match their decree to respect Kurdish rights. The ceasefire follows a rapid Syrian army conquest of areas previously controlled by US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Reports indicate skirmishes continue between the Syrian army and SDF, with alleged footage showing al-Sharaa's forces releasing Islamic State prisoners. The US is watching the situation closely, with the US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, expressing hope for a brighter future for Syrians through the agreement.

Fighting has erupted between Syrian government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near prisons holding Islamic State (IS) extremists in northeast Syria, a day after a ceasefire was agreed upon. The clashes resulted in the deaths of several SDF fighters and wounded over a dozen others. The SDF controls over a dozen prisons in the region where around 9,000 IS members are being held without trial. The fighting occurred despite a truce being signed on Sunday, which was meant to end days of deadly fighting during which government forces captured wide areas of northeast Syria from the SDF. The SDF blamed government forces for violating the ceasefire, stating that if attacks persisted, their fighters could not disarm and must continue to defend themselves. Some IS detainees took advantage of the chaos to escape from the Shaddadi Prison.