Kurdish-led forces in Syria put down riots by Islamic State (IS) militants in a prison in the country's northeast on Monday, hours after the extremists knocked down doors and dug holes in walls between cells, a Syrian Kurdish spokesman said.
It was not immediately clear if the riots in the town of Hassakeh were triggered by concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.
But there are concerns over an outbreak of the virus inside overcrowded prison facilities elsewhere in Syria and in the region.
So far there are no reports of infection in Kurdish-administered northeastern Syria or in any detention facilities.
Officials did not say whether there were casualties in the operation to secure the prison on Monday, adding that none of the prisoners were able to escape.
The prison is believed to house foreign IS militants.
Kurdish authorities run more than two dozen detention facilities in northeastern Syria, holding about 10,000 IS fighters.
Among the detainees are some 2,000 foreigners, including about 800 Europeans.
The Kurdish-led forces, backed by the U.S-led coalition, declared a military victory against IS in March last year, after seizing control of the last sliver of land the militants had controlled in southeast Syria.
AP
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