American officials are urgently working to prevent a potential crisis in Syria, where thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters and their families remain detained in overcrowded makeshift prisons under the supervision of US-backed Kurdish forces.

The threat of a large-scale jailbreak has escalated following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which has left Syria in disarray. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), responsible for guarding the detainees, have come under increasing attack from Turkish-backed groups. The prisons, originally intended as temporary holding facilities, now house approximately 9,000 IS fighters and 50,000 family members, many of whom are foreign nationals. The refusal of most detainees’ home countries to repatriate them has exacerbated overcrowding and heightened security risks.

“This is essentially a terrorist army in detention,” said Joseph Votel, a retired general and former head of US Central Command, as reported by Politico. “I am very concerned.”

A senior US counterterrorism official described the situation as a “ticking time bomb,” warning that ongoing attacks on SDF forces could trigger a catastrophic jailbreak. The escape of thousands of IS fighters would pose a severe threat to regional stability and global security.

The crisis comes at a delicate moment for US foreign policy, as a new administration prepares to take office with a stated aim of reducing international engagement. Meanwhile, Kurdish forces, weakened by continuous assaults, struggle to maintain control of the prisons amid growing international pressure to find a long-term solution for the detainees.

With the region’s future hanging in the balance, the risk of an IS resurgence looms large. Experts warn that a coordinated international response is urgently needed to address the situation, which has implications for global security and counterterrorism efforts.