Hundreds of children are believed to be held by jihadist extremists in a besieged prison in Syria. Nearly 850 children are being held inside Ghwayran prison in Hasaka. The prison was stormed by Islamic State soldiers on Thursday and days of battles followed. 136 people have been killed in the jihadist attempt to free imprisoned fighters. There are thousands of IS suspects held in Kurdish prisons.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, Kudish-led and supported by US coalition forces, fought the IS group and forced it to territorial defeat in March 2019. Despite territorial defeat, IS cells still operate and have completed deadly attacks against civilians and security forces. The attack on the prison by over 100 IS fighters caused fighting inside and outside the facility, including airstrikes by US-led coalitions. The 850 children were held at the prison during the fighting and were being used as human shields. The Syrian Democratic Forces had sealed off the area around the jail, hundreds of jihadists who broke out after the prison attack have been detained, but some are still on the run.
Read more: Hundreds of children held by IS in besieged prison in Syria
