January 6, 2026
On the evening of January 6, 2026, armed factions affiliated with the Damascus government
initiated a substantial assault on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods within the
city of Aleppo, northern Syria. These neighborhoods are home to over 500,000 residents
(approximately 55,000 Kurdish families) in addition to Kurdish displaced individuals who were
forcibly displaced from the Afrin region, which is under the control of Turkish-backed factions.
The attacks commenced when the Ministry of Defense-affiliated forces commenced targeting
civilians employing suicide drones, initially resulting in three civilians sustaining severe injuries.
Subsequently, a campaign of random shelling was launched, targeting civilian neighborhoods.
Afterward, the 60th Division deployed a convoy of tanks and armored military vehicles in an
attempt to forcibly enter the affected neighborhoods.
This escalation was accompanied by the forced eviction of civilians from neighborhoods
surrounding the Kurdish areas. Residents were expelled from their homes to facilitate the
deployment of snipers and the positioning of tanks within those neighborhoods. This
constitutes a perilous escalation that endangers civilian safety and transforms residential areas
into military zones. Concurrently, a violent bombardment campaign was conducted, during
which Syrian Ministry of Defense forces employed a comprehensive array of heavy weapons,
including tanks, heavy artillery, Grad and Katyusha rocket launchers, mortars, and DShK heavy
machine guns of various types. Additionally, suicide drone attacks and weapons with high
destructive capacity were utilized.
Consequently, four civilians were killed, including two women and one child, while 35 others
sustained injuries, including children. Numerous homes and civilian structures also suffered
severe damage due to the shelling and rocket fire. Subsequently, following intensive efforts to
cease hostilities and resume dialogue, the Kurdish neighborhoods experienced a period of
cautious tranquility accompanied by a preliminary ceasefire agreement. However, at the time of
writing, these factions have resumed violently targeting the three neighborhoods.
The Siege Imposed on the Kurdish Neighborhoods and Living Conditions:
Since December 23, 2025, the Syrian government has entirely severed electricity supply to the
Kurdish neighborhoods within the city of Aleppo. Consequently, residents have resorted to
utilizing generators fueled by diesel fuel to generate electricity. However, owing to the imposed
siege and the government’s prohibition of fuel entry into the neighborhoods, the generators are
currently operational for a limited duration of two hours per day, with the potential for a
complete shutdown if fuel delivery is not expedited.
Since December 23, we have engaged in multiple discussions with the Syrian government
regarding the provision of diesel fuel for heating within the besieged neighborhoods. However,
security checkpoints have impeded the entry of fuel tankers into these areas. Consequently,
residents and schools in these neighborhoods have not yet received diesel fuel for heating.
Consequently, due to the decline in temperatures, school attendance has been suspended until
the securing of heating fuel is accomplished.
During the meeting between General Mazloum and Defense Minister Marhaf Qasra in
Damascus on January 4, we requested that Minister Qasra permit fuel tankers to enter the
neighborhoods. However, the Syrian response was that they would not allow this material to
enter the two neighborhoods under the pretext that it would be used for SDF military vehicles.
Minister Qasra confirmed that the siege on the neighborhoods would continue.
All roads leading to the neighborhoods (seven in total) have been closed, leaving only one road
open. There is strict monitoring by Ministry of Defense personnel at the checkpoint on that
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road, where phones and food supplies (in limited quantities) are inspected, and extortion
payments are imposed to allow large quantities to enter the neighborhoods.
Attempts at Dialogue:
During the recent meeting held in Damascus on January 4, we endeavored to engage in a
discussion with the Syrian government regarding the predicament of these neighborhoods with
the objective of reaching a lasting agreement and de-escalation. Regrettably, the government
declined to participate in this dialogue.
Despite ongoing negotiations regarding the military integration file, this escalation occurs at
this juncture as a means of exerting pressure through attacks on civilians. Such actions cannot
be regarded as isolated security incidents; rather, they constitute a perilous pattern of behavior
that threatens the very foundations of civil peace and undermines any assertion of commitment
to political solutions. Employing civilians as a pressure mechanism or exposing them to
violence during sensitive political periods is extremely hazardous and cannot be condoned or
disregarded.
Despite the ongoing dispute, we unequivocally reaffirm our unwavering commitment to
dialogue and peace. However, genuine peace cannot be established under the conditions of
bombardment or siege. Instead, it can only be achieved through an immediate ceasefire, the
safeguarding of civilian lives, and a transparent and unequivocal pledge to a comprehensive
and equitable political solution that guarantees the rights of all Syrians, without any form of
negotiation or exceptions.
Factions and military divisions leading the attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods:
The 60–80 Division, comprising hardline elements formerly affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-
Sham, is led by Abu Qutaiba al-Manbiji, a prominent commander of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The 76th Division, established from the Turkish-backed Hamzat faction, was led by Saif al-Din
Bolad (Abu Bakr), an individual currently subject to U.S. sanctions. By the conclusion of 2025,
the United Kingdom also imposed sanctions on this faction and its leader.
The 72nd Division comprises fighters from various Turkish-backed factions. It is commanded
by a former commander of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, known as “Khattab al-Albani.”
Below are the names of the civilian martyrs and wounded during the shelling campaign that
began approximately eight hours ago and is still ongoing at the time of writing.
Documentation of the Names of the Martyrs:
1. Fatima Hammada – 41 years old
2. Masoud Faeq Abdo – 30 years old
3. Child Khorshid Omar
4. Woman (identity unknown)
Names of the Injured:
1. Ivan Abdo – 2 years old
2. Sham Dilo – 3 years old
3. Sherif Sido – 52 years old
4. Mohammad Habib – 82 years old
5. Aslan Bakr – 18 years old
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6. Ali Aslan Muslim Bilal – 17 years old
7. Sharfan Abdo Mamo – 17 years old
8. Hassan Mohammad Eid Qertan – 30 years old
9. Mohammad Sheikh Kilo – 70 years old
10. Ramzi Kilo – 18 years old
11. Mohammad Hussein Bakr – 23 years old
12. Khadija Alloush – 47 years old
13. Shiro Mohammad Hussein – 44 years old
14. Mohammad Nour Shobak – 26 years old
15. Mohammad Ibesh – 21 years old
16. Hamid Habash – 74 years old
17. Ibrahim Mohammad Rashid – 34 years old
18. Hevin Omar – 29 years old
19. Dima Al-Hussein – 85 years old
20. Mustafa Abdulhamid Hassan – 38 years old
21. Arslan Allo – 75 years old
22. Rifaat Mohammad Allo – 64 years old
23. Masoud Ali Karkour – 18 years old
24. Abdulaziz Dawoud – 24 years old
25. Rajab AbdulFattah – 16 years old
26. Nouri Khalil – 29 years old
27. George Khawam – 42 years old (Christian)
28. Nouri Jamal Hussein – 34 years old
29. Jihad Saleh Nasser – 15 years old
30. Dilberin Hamdoush – 45 years old
31. Mohammad Zakaria Mardalli
32. Orhan Samo
33. Mohammad Saleh Al-Malih – 75 years old
34. Abdullah Mohammad Saleh Al-Malih – 26 years old
35. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Zaidan – 15 years old
36. Rishal Roto – 38 years old
37. Daughter of Ahmad Badr Al-Din Zaidan – 6 years old
38. Son of Ahmad Badr Al-Din Zaidan – 7 years old
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