Kurdish-led fighters clashed with ISIS in north-east Syria on Saturday near a prison that holds thousands of suspected extremists.
The Syrian Democratic Forces advanced slowly under the cover of US-led coalition air power in Ghwayran, Hassakeh governorate.
Fighting broke out on Thursday night when the extremist group unleashed its biggest attack in Syria since being defeated nearly three years ago.
More than 100 militants attacked Ghwayran Prison, sparking battles with US-backed Kurdish fighters in which dozens were killed.
Since their defeat, ISIS sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks against the SDF as well as Syrian government forces on the west bank of the Tigris River.
“Attacking the detention facility was a top ISIS priority for more than a year,” said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“It is a credit to the diligent, capable efforts of the SDF and Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS forces that they were able to thwart numerous attacks during that period and limit the severity of this one.
“This attack highlights the importance of, and the need to fully fund, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS’s initiatives to improve the secure and humane detention of ISIS fighters, including by strengthening detention facility security. It also underscores the urgent need for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and prosecute, where appropriate, their nationals detained in north-east Syria,” he added.
The group’s territorial control in Syria and Iraq, where they once declared their “caliphate”, was crushed by a years-long US-backed campaign, but it has killed scores of people in both countries in the past few months.
On Friday, the SDF’s top military commander, Mazloum Abadi, said ISIS had mobilised “most of its sleeper cells” to organise the prison break.
Farhad Shami, an SDF spokesman, said the militants arrived at Ghwayran Prison on Thursday evening armed with heavy machineguns and vehicles rigged with explosives.
The SDF brought more reinforcements into Hassakeh to regain control of areas taken by ISIS, residents said.
More civilians fled the areas of fighting as sounds of explosions echoed in the city and black smoke billowed from its southern edge.
Hassakeh governor Ghassan Khalil told Syrian state media that about 4,000 civilians had fled to areas controlled by Syrian government forces in the city and its suburbs.
Ghwayran Prison is the largest of about a dozen SDF-run centres holding suspected ISIS fighters, with about 5,000 inmates including commanders and figures considered among the most dangerous.
Another SDF spokesman, Siamand Ali, said most of the prison was under SDF control apart from a small part held by rioting prisoners.
“The battles are taking place on the edge of the prison,” and in nearby Zuhour, he said.
SDF fighters and US-led coalition aircraft attacked a technical academy building in which dozens of “Daesh terrorists took positions”, Mr Ali said.
The fighters were advancing slowly against ISIS gunmen in alleys and homes to protect the lives of civilians, he said.
About 45 ISIS militants were killed in the fighting, he said. A statement about SDF fatalities would be issued later, he said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor based in Britain, said that since Thursday night, 78 people had been killed — five civilians, 28 Kurdish fighters and 45 ISIS gunmen.
It said the SDF was using loudspeakers to call on the terrorists to surrender, but they refused to do so.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
