The Kurdish National Congress (KNK) made a written statement regarding the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) taking complete control of the Sinaa Prison, located in the city of Hesekê, in Northern and Eastern Syria, which ISIS attacked and attempted to escape on January 20. In the statement, which warned that many ISIS prisoners are still free and that the danger continues while their sleeper cells are activated, the statement emphasized that the ISIS problem is a threat to global security. Noting that a stance should be taken against Turkey, the statement said, “All global forces should facilitate the return of their citizens who joined the ISIS back to their countries or to establish an international court for those ISIS members to be tried for their crimes, Turkey should be isolated politically and diplomatically and it should be brought before an international court for its support to ISIS and the support for North and East Syria Autonomous Administration should be increased."

 

The statement of KNK continues as follows: "Today, on the seventh anniversary of the liberation of Kobanê after the brutal siege by ISIS on January 26, 2015, this genocidal terrorist organization emerges once again and poses a serious threat to the peoples of Syria. The Kurdish people and their allies have made great sacrifices to end the so-called caliphate of ISIS, with more than 12,000 fighters who gave their lives in the war to end this threat to regional and global security. Unfortunately, these sacrifices continue."

 

MOST DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENT

 

On January 20, ISIS launched an attack on the Sinaa Prison in the Ghweran District of Hesekê in northern Syria to free 5,000 ISIS members held there. This attack, which resulted in the escape of thousands of prisoners, was the largest and most dangerous development in the region since ISIS was defeated by Kurdish forces and their allies in Syria years ago. Most of the detainees in Sinaa Prison were ISIS commanders waging wars against areas currently under the control of the multi-ethnic, multi-religious Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria (KDSOY). The purpose of this prison escape was to destabilize the security situation in KDSOY areas and to provide an opportunity for ISIS to regain power and territorial control. The primary motivation for this latest event is the dissatisfaction of many outside powers with the democratic KDSÖY model, which ensures the coexistence and equal representation and participation of various ethnic and religious communities in Northern and Eastern Syria in local government, and prioritizes gender equality and women's freedom. The Turkish state has long tried to encourage Arab communities and others in Northern and Eastern Syria to oppose KDSÖY, but these efforts have repeatedly failed. On the contrary, the support of all local communities has been a major source of strength for KDSÖY and local security forces, who have stood strong against the remnants of ISIS and the threats of other jihadist terror groups.

 

FIGHT AGAINST ISIS

 

This large-scale, coordinated prison escape took place with the support of regional powers. While the Syrian regime is helping the ISIS infiltrations by condoning these attacks; The Turkish state and army continued to use fighter jets and drones to target Kurds and others, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who tracked down the escaped terrorists, and killed hundreds of members of Turkey-backed jihadist proxy gang groups in the Turkish military-occupied Serêkaniye and Gire Spi. Since January 20, SDF forces have been fighting heroically to address this dangerous new development. While many ISIS prisoners are still free and ISIS sleeper cells are activated, the danger is not over. The ongoing struggle against ISIS and its supporters cannot be left solely to the SDF and its political leadership – it is a threat to global security and it includes members of ISIS who are citizens of various countries in Europe and the rest of the world.

 

ALLIANCE OF TURKEY

 

Countries whose nationals are among the ISIS prisoners held in Northern and Eastern Syria/Rojava, with few exceptions, refused to return their citizens to their countries to be brought to justice, leaving them to the SDF and KDSÖY. In addition, the international community refused to support the establishment of an international court to try ISIS detainees. Benefiting from the sacrifices made by the SDF in its war against ISIS, world powers left thousands of their citizens in Northern and Eastern Syria as a time bomb that could explode at any moment, as we have just seen. Instead of supporting the work of the SDF and KDSÖY to protect the victory against ISIS and to prevent the revival of this group, which aims to strengthen the stability of the region through direct military action and support to various jihadist proxy gangs that are openly hostile to the Syrian Kurds, SDF and KDSÖY, they prioritized maintaining their alliance with the Turkish state, which is constantly working to disrupt it.

 

GAINS ARE AT RISK

 

We emphasize once again that the continued actions of the Turkish state in Northern and Eastern Syria, including its support for jihadist groups, are jeopardizing gains won in the war against ISIS. Therefore, any state that has a sincere desire to put an end to this threat should take immediate action and take a clear stand against the Turkish regime. That is why we call on the UN, NATO, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the EU, the African Union and the Arab League to:

 

* Supporting the establishment of an international court to facilitate the return of citizens who joined ISIS to their countries to be tried for their crimes,

 

* Politically and diplomatically isolating the Turkish state and/or bringing it to an international court for its past and present sponsorship and other support to ISIS,

 

* Increase support for KDSÖY and get KDSÖY official recognition."