IS prison break in Syria sparks days of clashes

Intense fighting is taking place in north-eastern Syria after Islamic State (IS) fighters tried to break inmates out of a Kurdish-run prison.

Kurdish-led forces backed by US air strikes have been battling militants in the city of Hasaka since Thursday.

The assault on Ghwayran prison is one of the group’s most ambitious since its defeat in Syria nearly three years ago.

The overcrowded site houses 3,500 suspected IS members including some of its leaders, a monitoring group says.

Hundreds of jihadists have been recaptured since the breakout, but some are still on the run, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Kurdish security forces have surrounded the prison and are fighting for control of nearby neighbourhoods. Residents have been fleeing their homes.

The Syrian Observatory says “at least 84 IS members and 45 Kurdish fighters, including internal security forces, prison guards and counter-terrorism forces, have been killed” in violence inside and outside the prison since the start of the attack.

Seven civilians have also been killed in the fighting, according to figures quoted by AFP news agency.

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have taken control of much of the area and the prison, except some cell blocks where jihadists have refused to surrender, the Observatory reportedly added.

Meanwhile, IS claimed in a video on 22 January that many of its members had been freed in the attack on the prison. The footage also appeared to show the militants holding a number of hostages.