While it no longer controls vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, Islamic State remains a threat and will seek to spring 10,000 of its fighters from Syrian prisons in 2023, experts say
Efforts to free thousands of imprisoned militantsSome 70,000 people with suspected links to the group, including women and children and around 10,000 IS militants, are being held by Kurdish forces in north east Syria.used vehicles and explosives to ram through the walls of Gweiran PrisonDr Shiraz Maher, a senior lecturer at King's College London, says the risk of IS freeing thousands of imprisoned fighters is the"single greatest security threat to the West".
He told Sky News:"The Syrian Democratic Forces have repeatedly said that this is a ticking time bomb that they are sitting on they are not capable of dealing with themselves alone."Many of those being held by SDF forces are foreign fighters, but many nations have been reluctant to deal with them. The delicate situation could be put at risk if Turkey carries out its threat of a land invasion targeting Kurdish forces, Dr Maher warned.
Such a development may force Kurdish authorities to divert resources currently guarding its network of detention centres to the front line, creating a"massive ability" for IS to free its supporters. "We need to think creatively and have some courage in dealing with this issue and nipping it in the bud right now," Dr Maher said.Related Topics
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