On 22 December 2025, the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, which have a predominantly Kurdish population in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria, were subjected to a violent attack carried out by the forces of the Interim Authority affiliated with “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” resulting in civilian casualties and widespread damage to property.
Information about the victims
The shelling resulted in the killing of the citizen Fadwa Mohammad al-Kurdi (57 years old) and the injury of 17 other civilians, including two children. The injured are:
Hannan Abdul Hamid Ismail (20 years old)
Mohammad Abdul Hamid (19 years old)
Abdul Hamid Ismail (48 years old)
Zakaria Khalifa (53 years old)
Abdo Aswad (40 years old)
Mohammad Nidal Ibrahim (18 years old)
Aydel Ali (9 years old)
Dijla Othman (34 years old)
Dogan Allo (18 years old)
Abdul Rahman Horo (18 years old)
Jamil Akkash (22 years old)
Mahmoud Oso (20 years old)
Mirkan Bakr (22 years old)
Aref Bilal (20 years old)
Royarin Habash (13 years old)
Zainab Hannan (25 years old)
Osama Battikh (30 years old)
The injuries occurred as a result of intensive shelling with heavy weapons, artillery, and mortar shells targeting civilian homes inside the two neighborhoods, coinciding with violent clashes in the vicinity of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh between the Kurdish Internal Security Forces and gunmen of the Interim Authority. The shelling continued violently and repeatedly, leading to an increase in the number of wounded and the worsening of the humanitarian situation.
Simultaneously with the attacks, a video recording circulated of a religious sheikh loyal to the Interim Authority calling for general mobilization against the Kurdish forces in the city of Aleppo, containing offensive phrases that fall under hate speech.
Footage broadcast by the Saudi channel “Al-Hadath” also showed gunmen from the Interim Authority directing artillery barrels toward the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods amid chants of takbir.
In the health context, Martyr Khaled al-Fajr Hospital in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood issued a humanitarian appeal for blood donations due to the significant rise in the number of civilian wounded. The occurrence of deaths and injuries in other neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo was also documented.
Earlier, the western side of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods witnessed an attack carried out by elements affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Interim Authority on one of the joint checkpoints, within the framework of the ongoing military escalation. The deterioration of the security situation led to displacement movements from the two neighborhoods toward adjacent neighborhoods, for fear of continued shelling.
The Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods have been under a tight siege imposed by the Interim Authorities since September 2025, which included preventing the entry of basic materials, especially fuels—particularly diesel—as well as construction materials. This was accompanied by the establishment of mobile checkpoints around the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and the imposition of additional inspection measures and restrictions on Kurdish residents during their movement to other neighborhoods of Aleppo, outside official security frameworks.
The latest attack comes within the context of an ongoing siege and policies of restricting basic supplies and security harassment, which has directly affected civilians’ rights and their daily lives. The residents of the affected neighborhoods hold the concerned parties legally and humanely responsible for what is happening, demanding the immediate lifting of the siege and the cessation of attacks and violations that undermine civilians’ dignity and their right to safe life, movement, and the provision of basic needs.
Source: Rights Monitor Syria
Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria
