MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. The situation in northeastern Syria, in particular in the al-Hasakah governorate, has deteriorated, Oleg Zhuravlev, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said on Monday.
"The situation in northeastern Syria is deteriorating. Armed clashes with militants of Arab tribal units and Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) terrorists, who have escaped from the prison, continue in Kurdish-controlled quarters of the city of al-Hasakah. US servicemen are taking part in operations," he said.
According to Zguravlev, more than 2,500 refugees, mostly women and children, have crossed into the territory of the city’s quarters controlled by Syrian government troops out of security considerations.
Apart from that, an armed riot was stirred up in a prison in the city of Jisr al-Shaddadi, he said, adding security units of the so-called Autonomous Administration for North and East Syria (AANES), as well as US troops and weapons are being deployed to the area near the refugee camp Twaihina.
According to Arab media, a gang of some 200 Islamic State militants seized the al-Sinaa prison in the city of al-Hasakah holding over 3,500 inmates, including mercenaries who took part in combat operations on the side of terrorists. On Sunday, Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control a larger part al-Hasakah regained control of the prison, killing 175 terrorists. On Monday, SDF units continues to clear al-Hasakah of terrorists.