The Syrian army took control of Al-Aqtan Prison in eastern Raqqa between 2:16 PM and 2:45 PM UTC on January 19, 2026, with security units deploying to the region, according to BMC Amazon cited by Minevrax on X. Dozens of army vehicles moved east from the Raqqa-Ayn Issa line toward the Tel Tamr line during this 29-minute period, per BarracudaVol1 on X. A Syrian army convoy advanced from the road to Al-Fatsa village toward Tal Tamr, as reported by Zaino Yasser Mahameed on Telegram. Entrance to Mughar village was secured on the Ayn Issa line, according to BarracudaVol1 on X in the same timeframe. Teams from Syria's Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management arrived in Raqqa Governorate to support firefighting and response personnel, protect civilians, and preserve lives, as stated by Raed Al-Saleh on X. This development follows earlier negotiations for SDF handover of the prison, where militias had been holed up, per prior reports.
