Al-Hasakeh: +45,000 people fled as clashes rage near Ghwayran prison

Shafaq News/ Up to 45,000 people fled their homes in a Syrian city of al-Hasakeh where battles between Kurdish forces and ISIS have raged for days following a prison attack, the UN says.

“Up to 45,000 people have been displaced from their homes” in al-Hasakeh city since the extremist State group launched an attack on the Ghwayran prison last Thursday, says the UN humanitarian agency OCHA.

Others have been been trapped in the Ghwayran neighborhood since Friday, when ISIS sleeper cells emerged from the streets to begin a dramatic prisonbreak in the northeastern Syrian city that has now turned into a four-day battle.

Scores of IS prisoners escaped, and though some were recaptured, others have joined the fight, and fierce clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led military group running al-Hasakeh industrial prison, are ongoing in and around the complex.

By Monday morning, the fighting had reportedly killed 150-210 people, including around 100 IS fighters. According to the UN, 45,000 people have been displaced as chaos engulfed the northeastern city.

The Ghwayran prison holds some 5,000 jihadists from 30 countries worldwide, including dangerous leaders of the organization and minors. Many Western countries have refused to repatriate and prosecute their nationals.