U.S. Fears ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ with ISIS Jailbreak in Syria
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – U.S. officials expressed to Politico their concern over a potential nightmare scenario involving an ISIS jailbreak, which could instantly create a “ticking time bomb” by forming a terrorist army in Syria.
After the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) aggressively advanced into the territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are currently responsible for detaining 9,000 ISIS fighters and 50,000 others in poorly secured detention facilities, as reported by Politico.
“This is the closest thing we have to a ticking time bomb,” said a senior U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking to Politico on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans. “If Turkey doesn’t get these attacks on the [Syrian Democratic Forces] halted, we could have a massive jailbreak on our hands.”
The prisons were intended to be temporary, but the fighters’ home countries have refused to take them back.
“If we want to make sure that those camps are properly guarded, we, the United States, need to provide the Syrian Kurds with assurances that we will prevent Turkey from attacking them,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in an interview. “When Turkey supports the Syrian National Army’s attacks against the Kurds, the big winner is ISIS.”
Joseph Votel, a retired general and former commander of U.S. Central Command during the fight against ISIS, expressed deep concern over the precarious situation involving detained ISIS fighters. Referring to the detainees as “essentially a terrorist army in detention,” Votel highlighted to Politico the risks associated with their continued confinement under current conditions.
Gen. Erik Kurilla, chief of U.S. Central Command, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to preventing ISIS from reconstituting amid the ongoing instability in Syria.
“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” Kurilla said in a statement. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”
Gen. Kurilla recently visited U.S. forces in Syria, met with SDF fighters, and then traveled to Baghdad for discussions with Iraqi leaders.
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