Inside a prison full of alleged ISIS fighters
Dozens of accused ISIS militants sit in a crowded cell at a prison run by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia in northeast Syria. The SDF guards told CBS News they face regular escape attempts, and they need help managing the burden.
CBS News' Holly Williams was surprised to find prisoners who said they are Americans.
Prisoners of all ages
CBS News saw prisoners from their early teens to men whose hair and beards were fully grey.
Prisoners with battlefield injuries
Dozens of the prisoners bear scars, missing limbs and disfigurements from the battlefield. ISIS was hammered for months in Syria by SDF forces and U.S. and allied airstrikes.
An overcrowded prison
The SDF told CBS News that it runs multiple prisons like this one across northern Syria, housing a total of 12,000 accused ISIS militants. Nearly all of them want to return to their home countries, even knowing they could face long prison sentences there, but so far their home countries have resisted taking them back.
SDF guards say they need help
An SDF guard on duty at the prison in northeast Syria. The militia would not permit CBS News to film the exterior of the facility or reveal its exact location, due to security concerns in the still-volatile region.
Prisoners claim U.S. nationality
Lirim Sylejmani told CBS News he left his home in Chicago to live under ISIS in 2015, and he's unrepentant.
"The choices that I made, in somebody's eyes, the wrong choices, so I face jail time," he said. But he doesn't believe he made the wrong decision, saying he "just wanted to live under Islamic law."
Like the U.N., but alleged terrorists
CBS News' Holly Williams met prisoners from across Europe and elsewhere, comparing the mix of nationalities to the United Nations - only every single one of the inmates was accused of joining a terrorist organization. She said it was impossible to discern which of the detainees could still pose a threat if released, or if they manage to escape.
SDF guards say they need help
The SDF guards told CBS News they face regular escape attempts, and they need help managing the burden. They said if the prisoners' home nations won't take them back, they should provide more resources to secure the facilities against mass escape attempts, or establish an international court in Syria to try them.
An overcrowded prison
Dozens of accused ISIS militants sit in a crowded cell at a prison run by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia in northeast Syria. The SDF guards told CBS News they face regular escape attempts, and they need help managing the burden.
Prisoners of all ages
CBS News saw prisoners from their early teens to men whose hair and beards were fully grey.
A prison full of ISIS suspects
Accused ISIS militants sit in a cell at a prison run by the U.S.-backed SDF militia in northeast Syria.
SDF guards on duty
The SDF guards told CBS News they face regular escape attempts, and they need help managing the burden. The militia would not permit CBS News to film the exterior of the facility or reveal its exact location, due to security concerns in the still-volatile region where ISIS remnants remain active.
Prison full of ISIS suspects
The SDF guards told CBS News that if the prisoners' home nations won't take them back, they should provide more resources to secure the facilities against mass escape attempts, or establish and international court in Syria to try them.