Suspected ISIS members are being held at a prison in Hassakeh in north-east Syria. AFP
Suspected ISIS members are being held at a prison in Hassakeh in north-east Syria. AFP
Suspected ISIS members are being held at a prison in Hassakeh in north-east Syria. AFP
Suspected ISIS members are being held at a prison in Hassakeh in north-east Syria. AFP

Kurds quell ISIS prison riot and round up runaways in north-east Syria


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Kurdish-led security forces have quelled a riot at a prison for suspected ISIS fighters in the north-east Syrian city of Hasaka on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK based war monitor, said four detainees believed to have broken out of Ghourian prison had been tracked down within the jail holding some 5,000 inmates.

The spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mustafa Bali, described the situation inside the jail as “tense”.

The SDF said inmates partially seized control of the jail on Sunday and that they were in pursuit of those who were believed to have fled.

The Syrian regime maintains a significant security presence in the rural city of Hasaka and several of its official departments function normally.

SANA, the regime’s official news agency, said that overnight the US-led coalition had illuminated the prison area from the air to help trace the fugitives. The prison, SANA said, has 3,000 ISIS members as well incarcerated civilians.

SANA said 12 prisoners escaped, while the SDF initially said only that there were several.

The SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG), which is closely linked to the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Washington regards the PKK as a terrorist organisation but it is backing the YPG militia.

With tacit Syrian regime cooperation, the YPG seized control of large parts of north-east Syria after the outbreak of the Syrian revolt against five decades of Assad family rule in 2011.

The takeover contributed a violent Arab backlash, with many joining militant groups that marketed themselves as a bulwark against Kurdish militia expansion.

The Kurdish groups fought back ISIS who largely overran the region of Syria and in the process became the main ground component of the US-led war against the terror group in Syria.

The war resulted in ISIS losing virtually all of its territory in Syria in March 2019. But the group still mounts hit-and-run attacks against the Kurdish militia.

Human Rights Watch says the SDF has in detention 12,000 men and boys suspected of belonging to ISIS. Among them are 2,000 to 4,000 foreigners from almost 50 countries.

The inmates are often held in inhumane conditions, Human Rights Watch says. The Kurdish militia also oversees camps that house thousands of Syrian and foreign women and children who are family members of suspected militants.

Rights groups and Kurdish forces have called on the international community to do more to repatriate their nationals who joined ISIS and support the camps holding prisoners. Many nations have refused to repatriate men, women or children although some have been returned.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Disability on screen

Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues

24: Legacy — PTSD;

Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound

Taken and This Is Us — cancer

Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)

Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg

Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety

Switched at Birth — deafness

One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy

Dragons — double amputee

Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
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It

Director: Andres Muschietti

Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor

Three stars

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially