Syrian government troops tightened their grip across a swathe of northern and eastern territory on Monday after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in a dramatic shift that has consolidated President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s rule.
A day after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), once the main U.S. ally in Syria, agreed to quit large areas under a ceasefire, the sides reported new clashes. The Syrian army said “a number of” Islamic State group militants had escaped a prison that had been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of releasing them.
The SDF said it had lost control of the prison following an attack by government fighters. The Syrian army denied attacking the jail and said its forces would work to secure the prison and rearrest the escapees.