Militants linked to the Islamic State group broke out of a prison in during a disorderly handover of control between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s government on Monday, according to U.S. officials and regional sources.

The event occurred at in Syria’s Hasakah province following a brokered ceasefire that, per reports, had been progressing too slowly.

The truce came after days of fighting, with Damascus accusing the SDF of delaying security handovers, sources told Digital.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had publicly voiced impatience with Kurdish autonomy, effectively telling SDF leadership it was time to disband.

Under an integration agreement finalized Sunday, the SDF also agreed to withdraw from two Arab-majority provinces it had controlled for years.

The deal included responsibility for prisons holding ISIS detainees, which would be transferred from the SDF to Syria’s government.

Prior to the ceasefire, the U.S. had worked with the SDF to move the most dangerous foreign ISIS fighters to other, more secure Syrian prisons.

Sources stated there were fewer than 1,000 detainees at Al-Shaddadi prison previously, but only around 200 remained during Monday’s messy transition.

As SDF guards left Al-Shaddadi prison and Syrian forces moved to take over, local residents freed roughly 200 ISIS detainees from the facility, sources said.

“Most of these were low-level local fighters, not hardened foreign combatants,” a well-placed source explained.

The also noted it had collaborated closely with the SDF in recent months to relocate the most dangerous foreign ISIS detainees to safer prisons ahead of the ceasefire.

U.S. forces were also reported to be closely monitoring developments as the transition unfolded.

A senior U.S. official told that most escaped prisoners were quickly rounded up and returned to the prison, now under Syrian government control.

On Monday, the Syrian army imposed a full curfew in Shaddadi city and launched sweeping security operations to find any remaining escapees, per reports.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials confirmed they were “boosting our presence by air, land and sea,” with the military closely monitoring the situation.

A squadron of was repositioned, and C-17 aircraft carrying heavy equipment arrived in the area. The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to enter the U.S. Central Command area by Jan. 25.

In Iraq, were also brought under control after gathering at the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, with reports of demonstrators standing on walls.