TUNIS, January 19. /TASS/. The armed forces of Syria’s interim government have established control over the city of al-Shaddadi in the south of the al-Hasakah governorate and the city’s prison holding Islamic State (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) militants, the Al-Ikhbaria television channel reported, citing the army command.
"We immediately started a security operation in the area and arrested Islamic state militants who were released by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition - TASS) and escaped," the command said, adding that a curfew has been declared in the city.
The SDF said earlier that it had lost control over the al-Shaddadi prison after clashes with Damascus-affiliated groups that attacked the facility. The Syrian interim government’s defense ministry, however, refuted reports about the clashes and blamed the SDF for "willfully releasing prisoners."
On January 18, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa approved a new ceasefire agreement with Kurdish units. Under the deal, northeastern Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates are coming under the full control of the Syrian interim government, all Kurdish civilian institutions in the al-Hasakah governorate will be incorporated into the Syrian government, and the Syrian army will safeguard the security of all border crossings and oil and gas fields in the region.