The news that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have been killed comes on the back of concerns thousands of imprisoned ISIS fighters might escape thanks to Turkey's recent invasion of northern Syria.
The fear is that as the Kurdish personnel guarding them gear up for a fight with Turkey, which launched a military offensive in northeastern Syria earlier this month, many prisoners could slip away.
Turkey's assault has already had a "detrimental effect" on American counter-ISIS operations, which have "effectively stopped," a senior US defense official told CNN on October 9.
The Turkish offensive, the official said, "has challenged our ability to build local security forces, conduct stabilization operations and the Syrian Democratic Forces' (ability) to guard over 11,000 dangerous ISIS fighters."
When asked earlier this month about the threat of ISIS prisoners escaping, US President Donald Trump claimed that some of the most dangerous ISIS prisoners had been moved, "putting them in other areas where it's secure."
He dismissed the overall threat, replying, "Well, they're going to be escaping to Europe."
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