Syria

A detainee looks through a gate at al-Hol camp after the Syrian government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. (Photo: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters) The U.S. said it will transfer some 7,000 ISIS terrorists from prisons in northeast Syria to…

Democracy Dies in Darkness The mission followed a jailbreak earlier this week amid an advance by Syrian government forces into parts of the country long held by a militia that partners with the United States. Updated January 21, 2026 The Roj detention camp in northeast Syria. (Alice Martins/For The Washington…

The Israeli military said it struck four crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border on Wednesday that were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, after earlier launching fresh strikes on the militant group in Lebanon. "A short while ago, the (Israeli military) struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border used by…

Rifaat-al-Assad, the feared uncle of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and a central figure behind one of the bloodiest crackdowns in the Middle East, has died aged 88. The former army officer – branded by critics as the ‘butcher of Hama’ for his role in crushing an Islamist uprising in…

Syrian forces are hunting ISIS fugitives after dozens escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria, the interior ministry said, as the government moves to take territory from Kurdish fighters. Of the 120 who escaped, 81 have been captured, the ministry said Tuesday, adding that “intensive security efforts continue to track…

Members of the Syrian government security forces stand guard as a group of detainees gather at al-Hol camp after the government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters Connect by Khalil Ashawi The U.S. envoy for Syria…

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Democracy Dies in Darkness Kurdish-led fighters have long guarded facilities holding Islamic State detainees or their families, after the caliphate the group tried to establish was defeated in 2019. January 20, 2026 A drone view of the Shaddadi prison in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, after Syria's government said detainees had…

Longtime U.S. allies say they have abandoned large prisons holding thousands of Islamic State group fighters and their families in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Tuesday it had redeployed from the al-Hol camp to nearby cities, blaming “international indifference” for the withdrawal. The move comes amid…

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