SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq has tightened security measures on the borderline with Syria following an attack by Islamic State (ISIS) militants on a prison in northeast Syria.
“There are directives issued … to double the security measures on the Iraqi-Syrian side,” said Yehia Rasool, spokesman of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces.
Rasool further said the Iraqi forces were ready to confront any attempt by ISIS militants to infiltrate Iraqi territory, according to the official Iraqi news agency.
ISIS militants attacked Ghweran prison in northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah on Thursday night, attempting to free prisoners that include the group’s leaders.
Ghweran Prison is the largest of around a dozen facilities run by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces holding suspected ISIS fighters. It holds more than 3,000 inmates, including ISIS leaders and figures considered among the most dangerous.
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said its forces and internal security forces had thwarted the attack, killing 22 militants. On Friday, the group said more than 89 escapers were re-arrested.
The U.S. State Department on Saturday condemned the ISIS attack and commended the SDF for their “swift response” to the group’s attempt to free prisoners.
“It is a credit to the diligent, capable efforts of the SDF and Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS forces that they were able to thwart numerous attacks during that period and limit the severity of this one,” it added.
“The losses sustained by our partners in these attacks are a stark reminder of the very real challenges the region continues to face.”
