As the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) , backed by the international CJTF – OIR coalition , defeated the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL ) in a number of campaigns during the Syrian Civil War , thousands of ISIL members were captured and detained at several facilities throughout Rojava , a proto-state in northern Syria . One of the most secure detention centers for ISIL members is the Dêrik prison in al-Malikiyah , a town near the Iraqi-Syrian border , where about 400 ISIL fighters were held . These included a large number of international jihadists , most notably 20 French nationals , some of whom had been involved in the 2012 Toulouse and November 2015 Paris attacks . The French detainees were believed to have been one of the driving groups in preparing a prison escape
2012 Toulouse
Toulouse and Montauban shootings
Dêrik prison escape attempt