In Syria, Kurdish-led forces backed by U.S. helicopter gunships have recaptured a prison in the northeastern city of Hasakah, ending a week-long battle that began when Islamic State fighters attempted a jailbreak. The fighting left more than 180 people dead. The siege ended after the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces cut off food and water to the jail for two days. More than 700 imprisoned children — some as young as 12 years old — were reportedly used as human shields during the siege. Last year, a United Nations report found conditions inside the jail amounted to torture, with prisoners packed in overcrowded cells, denied access to sunlight, medical care and proper nutrition.