At least seven inmates killed in prison fire after Kobane riot
The blaze broke out at a Kurdish-administered prison after protests over the reported killing of former Kurdish fighter Sami Sheikhmous Hiso.
At least seven inmates have been killed and dozens injured after a fire broke out during a riot at a prison in Kobane, northern Syria, according to Syria’s state-run news agency SANA.
State television reported that people were burned or suffocated in the incident. The cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the riot began overnight after authorities decided to transfer some inmates to another facility in Aleppo. Those details, along with reports of arrests and protesters being held at the prison, have not been independently established in the supplied accounts.
Tensions in Kobane followed protests over the reported killing of former Kurdish fighter Sami Sheikhmous Hiso. AFP reported that Hiso’s body, returned to the city after he was kidnapped, showed gunshot wounds.
The prison remains administered by Kurdish authorities and has not been handed over to Syria’s central government. The incident comes amid continuing tensions between Damascus and Kurdish institutions after Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
Syria and its Kurdish community reached an integration agreement in January, but bouts of sectarian violence have continued. Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi reportedly arrived in Kobane on Saturday and met senior officials.
