The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout.

It said security forces had recaptured 81 of the escapees after search and sweep operations in the town and surrounding areas, with efforts continuing to arrest the remaining fugitives.

Earlier, the Syrian army said “a number of” Daesh militants had escaped a prison that had been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of releasing them.

After days of fighting with government forces, the SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir Al Zor, two Arab-majority provinces they had controlled for years and the location of Syria’s main oil fields.