Lt. General Saad al-Allaq told CNN that senior members of ISIS are planning mass prison breaks while in refuge in Turkey. Al-Allaq stated that international efforts to prevent these prison breaks will be necessary as criminals are able to leave camps and return to home countries in Europe, Asia, and Northwest Africa, allowing them to execute attacks without suspicion. Even after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in late October, experts estimate that 10,000 ISIS fighters remain in custody under the Syrian Democratic Forces, within close proximity to a camp that holds 70,000 women and children.
Saad al-Allaq worked closely with the CIA on the al-Baghdadi campaign and will continue to leverage his position within the Iraqi military to defeat ISIS forces. The prison break scenario features emirs who have substantial amounts of cash and have been forming new cells in Turkey. However, Turkey has been cracking down on ISIS members since the death of al-Baghdadi, claiming to have arrested his sister, one of his wives, and other family members as well as 42 people accused of involvement in complex money transfers associated with ISIS forces.
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