(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) At least seven killed in fire at prison in northern Syria | Prison News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/at-least-seven-killed-in-fire-at-prison-in-northern-syria)                                                (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/12/at-least-seven-killed-in-fire-at-prison-in-northern-syria)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/getty_6aa561bd1b-1789223357.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/getty_6aa561bd1b-1789223357.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (at-least-seven-killed-in-fire-at-prison-in-northern-syria@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/prison/) Prison   At least seven killed in fire at prison in northern Syria Inmates rioted following protests in the city of Kobane over the killing of a former Kurdish fighter, state media reports.   Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share At least seven killed in fire at prison in northern Syria on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F1k0rjn) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=At%20least%20seven%20killed%20in%20fire%20at%20prison%20in%20northern%20Syria&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F1k0rjn) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F1k0rjn) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/1k0rjn)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Syrian government forces and the country's Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached an integration agreement in January)   Syrian government forces and the country's Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached an integration agreement this year [File: Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff , AFPand AP   Published On 12 Sep 2026 12 Sep 2026    At least seven inmates have been killed and others injured after a fire broke out at a prison in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria. The fire started when inmates at a jail in Kobane rioted over tensions that had erupted in the town on Friday, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported on Saturday. However, the cause of the blaze is yet to be officially confirmed. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/7/syria-detains-assad-era-general-accused-of-bloody-crackdown-on-protests) Syria detains Assad-era general accused of bloody crackdown on protests  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/9/as-sdf-disband-in-syria-kurds-ponder-how-to-secure-their-rights) As SDF disband in Syria, Kurds ponder how to secure their rights  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/9/10/09-10-reported-bernard-smith-ypj-fighters-mp4) Kurdish YPJ women fighters face exclusion from Syria’s new army   end of list  “Dozens were injured, burned or suffocated following a riot,” state TV reported. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the riot began overnight after authorities decided to transfer some inmates to another facility in Aleppo. On Friday, protests broke out in Kobane over the killing of a former Kurdish fighter, Sami Sheikhmous Hiso. Hiso’s body was returned to Kobane on Thursday after he was kidnapped, according to the AFP news agency. AFP reported that his body showed wounds caused by gunfire.      The protests and prison riot highlight the divisions still present in Syria following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Syria’s new head of state, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged to oversee an inclusive administration and govern for all. However, his pledge has been set back by bouts of sectarian violence involving government forces. In January, Damascus and Syria’s Kurdish community reached an integration agreement, which has since seen Kurdish civilian and military institutions become (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/25/kurdish-led-forces-in-syria-dissolve-after-merging-with-the-army) part of the Syrian state . The prison in Kobane is still administered by Kurdish authorities and is yet to be handed over to the central government. Advertisement    Demonstrations against Hiso’s death turned violent on Friday, leading to arrests, according to Kurdish news outlet Rudaw. Rudaw reported that some of the protesters attacked security forces and were being held in the prison at the time of the riot and fire. Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) arrived in Kobane on Saturday and has been meeting with senior officials there, according to media reports. Abdi was appointed presidential adviser last month, days after announcing the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish coalition of armed groups that he led.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network