Syrian Forces Seize Al-Aqtan Prison After SDF Evacuation

The Syrian Prisons and Correctional Facilities Administration assumed control of al-Aqtan prison north of Raqqa on Friday, and Deputy Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Abdul-Qader Tahan visited to inspect detainee conditions, the Interior Ministry said.

The takeover followed a two-week government offensive that prompted a deal allowing nearly 800 Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters to evacuate west toward Kobani, and Raqqa Governor Abdul-Rahman Salama said al-Aqtan holds up to 2,000 detainees.

The Syrian Democratic Forces warned the seizure "could have serious security repercussions" while state media and the Interior Ministry described a coordinated handover, reflecting conflicting accounts of the operation.

The U.S. military said it has begun transferring some of roughly 9,000 Islamic State detainees held in more than a dozen SDF-run detention centers in northeast Syria to neighboring Iraq, U.S. officials said.

Under a deal signed by interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, the SDF is to merge into Syria's defense and interior ministries, but analysts warned the integration could still collapse and reignite fighting.