HASAKAH, NORTHEAST SYRIA –

Editor’s note: In the last of a three-part investigation, CTV W5’s Avery Haines was given rare access to a Syrian prison where thousands of accused high-ranking ISIS members, including some Canadians, are being held.

A hooded guard opens a small hatch in a large metal door, revealing a narrow glimpse into one of the world’s most secretive prisons, called Panorama.

(CTV W5)

I sidle up to the bars and peer inside to find a large cell with dozens of men all wearing identical brown uniforms.

Most are sitting with their backs against the wall. Some are pacing, including a double amputee, who wears flip-flops on his stumps. Two other prisoners hold his hand so he can walk the length of the cell.

Few outsiders have ever been allowed inside, and my rare access is restricted to just two cells. Four-thousand of the highest ranking suspected ISIS fighters are detained here. Most are foreign nationals and none have been charged with a crime. They were captured when the U.S.-led coalition, including Canada, declared victory over ISIS in 2019.

Inside the cells

Each cell holds about 25 to 30 prisoners. The first cell is filled with Iraqi nationals. The second has inmates from 15 countries.

One man who speaks English tells me through the hatch that he is from Palestine and that his cellmates are from around the world, including Britain, Germany and Russia. It’s very likely that neither the Palestinian nor the Russian inmate have any idea about the conflicts involving their homelands; they have been sealed off from the outside world for years.

At least one of the inmates here is Canadian. Mississauga, Ontario’s Muhammad Ali, who admits to being an ISIS sniper and part of an ISIS reconnaissance team, has been imprisoned in Syria since 2019.

During an interview with W5, Ali offered a grim prediction: “This doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a genius to figure out what is going to happen in the future in this area. It’s a vicious cycle of war.”

He went on to say it’s not just ISIS, but “other groups as well, groups which are much more hardcore.”

(CTV W5)

The ISIS threat: a ticking time bomb

Counterterrorism experts call the situation here a ticking time bomb. It’s not just concerns about radicalization. ISIS keeps trying to break its fighters out to create a ready-made army.

In 2022, the terror group orchestrated a sophisticated and coordinated prison break that took nine days to quell, with the help of U.S. airstrikes. One-hundred-and-fifty Kurdish soldiers died and 400 suspected ISIS leaders escaped.

A Syrian Democratic soldier keeps watch by a prison that was attacked by Islamic State militants in Hassakeh, Syria on Feb. 8, 2022 (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

The prison break underscores the persistent threat posed by ISIS.

“Given the opportunity, they would not hesitate to act,” one of the guards told me. “The most dangerous individuals are being held here. If they were to escape, it would pose a significant threat to the entire world.”

Panorama is just one of 29 prisons in northeast Syria, holding 10,000 accused—but never charged—ISIS members, including at least nine Canadians. Jack Letts is at a less secure prison, near Raqqa. These facilities have been described as mini Guantanamo Bays.

The Kurdish forces responsible for guarding the jails warn they are at their breaking point. Resources are scarce, manpower is stretched thin, and they rely heavily on U.S. troops for support.

But the U.S. has signalled it intends to withdraw troops from the region. Kurdish foreign affairs minister Ilham Ahmed told W5 such a withdrawal could be catastrophic.

“If the U.S. were to pull its troops out, without proper planning or control, there could be mass casualties,” she said. “A sudden troop withdrawal could lead to devastating consequences and significantly impact U.S. interests as well.”

Few outsiders have ever been allowed inside Syria’s Panorama prison, and W5’s rare access was restricted to just two cells (CTV W5)

‘Their presence here is illegal’

The Kurdish-led administration has recently offered amnesty to 1,500 national detainees. “Some individuals had no direct involvement in fighting or killing…for these individuals, an amnesty was granted following a thorough monitoring process of their behaviour,” Ahmed said.

However, this amnesty is not extended to foreign inmates. “If their respective states do not come to repatriate them, we cannot grant them amnesty or release them into our communities,” Ahmed explained. “Their presence here is illegal, and they have no rights under our laws.. It is imperative that these individuals be repatriated solely by their own governments.”

The United States has repatriated all 27 of its male detainees. Canada’s policy has been to repatriate women and children, but not male citizens.

”This is a heavy responsibility for us,” Ahmed warned. “We cannot predict how it will ultimately unfold in the future.”

Watch “Avery Haines Investigates,” a special one-hour documentary airing Saturday Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. on CTV. It will also be posted to CTV W5’s official YouTube channel