U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces were celebrating in northeastern Syria on Wednesday night after the force said it had seized control of the Gweiran Prison from Islamic State militants.
But on Thursday, it emerged fighting was again ongoing and the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said dozens of armed IS militants remained holed up in the last section of the prison.
At least two were killed in the clashes on Thursday, the SDF said in a statement. It said anywhere between 60 and 90 militants remain holed up in the northern section of the prison.
The SDF claimed Wednesday it had regained full control of the prison — a week after scores of militants overran the facility.
The attackers allowed some to escape, took hostages and clashed with SDF fighters in violence that killed dozens.
The weeklong assault on one of the largest detention facilities in Syria turned Hassakeh into a conflict zone.
The Kurdish-led administration declared a curfew and sealed off the city, barring movement in and out.
Thousands have been displaced because of the violence that began with a bold attack on the prison last Thursday.
It was the biggest military operation by IS since the fall of the group's "caliphate" in 2019 and came as the militants staged a number of deadly attacks in both Syria and Iraq that stoked fears they may be staging a comeback.
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