Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 23, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 23, 2026
Syrian government forces take control of prison formerly held by Kurdish-led SDF
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A Syrian government soldier stands outside SDF controlled al-Aktan prison which holds ISIS detainees, as the Syrian amry takes possession of the nearby SDF military base in the city of Raqqa on January 19, 2026. (Bakr ALkasem / AFP)
The Syrian interior ministry says it has taken over al-Aktan prison in the city of Raqqa in northeast Syria, a facility that was formerly under the control of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The prison held detainees linked to the militant group Islamic State, and witnessed clashes in its vicinity between advancing Syrian government forces and SDF.
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