A general view of Aleppo's central prison. The prison in northern Syria has been under siege for five months by rebels trying to free the inmates — but instead, it has turned into a grueling battle of attrition, much like Syria's civil war at large. — AP
BEIRUT — The prisoners are crammed together in small, dark rooms with no water or electricity and barely enough food to survive. Diseases such as scabies and tuberculosis are rampant among them. Every so often, the crash of artillery shells rocks their sprawling prison complex, a stark reminder of the civil war raging outside. They are the inmates of Aleppo's central prison, caught in the deadly stalemate of Syria's civil war. Rebels have been besieging the facility for the past five months, saying they are determined to free the more than 4,000 detainees inside. Fighters have barreled suicide car bombs into the front gates twice, lob shells into the compound and battle frequently with the hundreds of guards and troops holed up inside. Still, they've been unable to capture the imposing prison. Meanwhile, more than 150 prisoners have died during the siege, killed by shelling, dying from lack of medicine or outright executed by guards, opposition groups say. The siege is emblematic of the bloody, cruel war of attrition into which Syria's conflict has descended during its third year. In the north, including Aleppo province, rebels have succeeded in seizing large swaths of countryside. But they have been unable to take control of urban centers. The military of President Bashar Al-Assad has been able to hold onto bases and other strong points around the area, from which they can bombard rebel-held communities — but they can't take back territory. The relentless carnage nationwide has left more than 100,000 dead, driven millions of others from their homes. The sprawling prison lies on a highway north of Aleppo, once Syria's prized commercial center but now devastated by its own stalemate — with rebels controlling part of the city battling regime forces. The rebels launched their assault on the prison in April not just to free those inside, but also to uproot a regime pocket amid neighborhoods largely held by opposition forces. Now those whom the rebels aimed to liberate are trapped in the battle. The prison's 4,600 inmates, including 150 women, are a mix of common criminals, rebels and opposition activists and supporters, according to the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict through a network of activists on the ground. Around 1,300 of the inmates have completed their sentences but have not been freed by authorities, the group says. Diseases have spread in the jail, including more than 200 cases of tuberculosis, of which seven have already died, according to the SNHR. It said vomiting, diarrhea and poisoning are common among detainees because water tanks have not been cleaned for months and are full of plankton, worms and dirt. “The life of detainees in that prison is dismal,” said Aleppo-based activist Mohammad Saeed. “The guards give very little food to the prisoners and sell them medicine for as much as $10 for a painkiller pill,” he said via Skype. Since they began their siege in April, rebels have launched several assaults trying to overrun it. In May, fighters mainly from the Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic group broke in after setting off two simultaneous car bombs at its gates. They battled troops within the walls until the regime forces, backed by warplanes, drove the rebels out. In August, members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al-Nusra set off another car bomb near the prison, but failed to breach the walls. — AP
