‘I’m scared I might die’: Australian boy begs for help in Syrian prison overrun by Islamic State
Beirut: An Australian teenager trapped in a Syrian prison overrun by Islamic State fighters has begged for help in a series of harrowing messages, saying he fears he will die like other children around him amid the jihadist uprising.
The violence began last week when IS insurgents stormed the Gweiran prison in the north-eastern city of Hassakeh, where thousands of their fellow jihadists are jailed. The resulting clashes between IS and US-backed Kurdish forces have left at least 200 people dead. British special forces are reportedly involved in the operation to retake the prison.
A Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighter, stands at a damaged part of the defence wall of Gweiran Prison in Hassakeh, northeast Syria. Credit:AP
“There’s a lot of people dead in front of me, I’m scared I might die any time because I’m bleeding, please help me,” the boy, 17, said in voice notes sent to relatives in Australia.
The boy has been held at Gweiran since 2019, when he was separated from his mother after surrendering to the Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force (SDF), according to Kamalle Dabboussy, an advocate for Australians detained in north-east Syria.
None of the children detained at Gweiran have been charged, though SDF officials say some were child soldiers. Dabboussy asked that Australia repatriate the boy, saying he was never involved in fighting after being taken to Syria aged 11 or 12.
Last Thursday, militants detonated suicide vehicle bombs and breached the prison’s walls, freeing some prisoners. Some escaped while others seized weapons and remain holed up inside.
Islamic State group fighters, who surrendered after clashing with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, at Gweiran Prison, where fighting is on-going. Credit:AP
Clashes have continued for days and yesterday IS militants were in control of the “children’s section” of the prison holding hundreds of minors hostage, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led force in charge of Gweiran said.
The prison is the main facility for IS suspects in north-east Syria, holding more than 3000 inmates from dozens of countries, including an estimated 10 British citizens and 700 children.
Some of those children have died in the fighting, the Australian teenager, whose name is being withheld because of his age, said. “I’ve seen a lot of bodies of kids, eight years, 10 years, 12 years. My friends got killed here. I’m by myself, I’m very scared, there’s a lot of people dead, a lot of people injured,” he said.
His voice notes gave the first news of children in the prison since the attack began. They were obtained as fighters from the Western-backed SDF closed in on the last wing of the jail controlled by militants.
“People are screaming next to me, people are scared. I really need help, I really want to come back home. Please help me,” said the boy. He said he had been wounded in the head and hand by an Apache helicopter, after the US-led coalition carried out strikes.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Telegraph, London
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