Statement about ISIS Attacks in Syria

JANUARY 22, 2022

The United States condemns Thursday’s ISIS attack on the Hasakah Provincial Internal Security Forces detention center in northeast Syria, which was an attempt to free detained ISIS fighters.

We commend the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their swift response and continued commitment to the fight against ISIS in northeast Syria. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the guards injured and killed in the initial bomb attack and subsequent fighting. Attacking the detention facility was a top ISIS priority for more than a year. 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. This attack highlights the importance of, and the need to fully fund, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS’s initiatives to improve the secure and humane detention of ISIS fighters, including by strengthening detention facility security. It also underscores the urgent need for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and prosecute, where appropriate, their nationals detained in northeast Syria.

We continue to stand with our partners in the region to counter the remnants of ISIS. While the Coalition has severely degraded ISIS’s ability to conduct attacks, the group continues its attempts to destabilize the region. The losses sustained by our partners in these attacks are a stark reminder of the very real challenges the region continues to face.

The United States remains committed to the enduring global defeat of ISIS, working by, with, and through the Coalition and our local partners.