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Isis militants break out of prison in Syria after bombing by Turkey

Escape comes after Trump cleared way for Erdogan to launch offensive on Kurds

Samuel Osborne
Friday 11 October 2019 17:02 BST
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Turkey begins ground operations in northeast Syria

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Five Isis militants have broken out of a prison in northern Syria after Turkish shelling nearby, a spokesman in the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has said.

The detainees escaped from a prison in Qamishli city, Marvan Qamishlo said.

Meanwhile, women affiliated with Isis attacked security offices with sticks and stones during unrest at a camp in the region where Turkey has launched attacks.

The unrest at al-Hol camp started in the foreigners’ section and involved more people than previous incidents at the camp, Mr Qamishlo said.

“The [Isis] women rose against the internal security forces at al-Hol, they set ablaze tents and attacked the administrative and security offices there with stones and sticks,” he added said.

A video of the disturbance, distributed by the SDF and shot from a distance, showed around 20 fully covered women running in open space with several men appearing to pursue them.

It came as Isis claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack in Qwamishli that killed three people.

On Thursday, a Kurdish official warned that Isis detainees could break out of detention as Kurdish-led security forces confront the Turkish offensive and their ability to guard detainees is weakened.

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Turkish forces have pushed deeper into Syria on the third day after Ankara launched a cross-border offensive against Kurdish fighters.

Thousands of civilians have fled the violence as international criticism of the incursion intensified.

At least nine civilians are reported to have been killed in Turkey and several more in Syria since the beginning of the operation and the UN estimated at least 100,000 people have been displaced.

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