Beginning January 20th, ISIS carried out a massive assault on the Gweiran prison in Hasakah in northeast Syria, where thousands of its fighters are held. Utilizing gunmen and suicide car bombs, the once-formidable terror group carried out a complex attack on the facility. Many newly freed ISIS fighters have spilled into surrounding neighborhoods, while thousands are holed up under arms in the sprawling compound, using hostages as human shields. This prison break set the stage for the largest confrontation between the US military, their local partners, and ISIS in years. It took the US-backed forces nearly a week of vicious urban fighting before recapturing the prison and bringing the siege to an end.

Following the initial assault, the US Special Operations command in Syria reached out to Spirit of America to relay an urgent need on behalf of the thousands of families displaced by the fighting. Our team acted immediately.

In under 24 hours, working with US troops and local partners, we executed a plan to provide humanitarian assistance for 1,000 families affected by the danger in Hasakah. The aid, which includes winter blankets and food items such as lentils, rice, beans, flour, and pasta, will be delivered within days. Spirit of America is standing side by side with our US military and local partners to act quickly to meet the urgent humanitarian needs on the ground.

With your support, Spirit of America will demonstrate our commitment to the victims of this assault and the enduring defeat of ISIS.