Autonomous Administration: Massacres and Violations in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Will Not Go Unpunished
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria affirmed that what occurred in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo constitutes a treacherous act and a major crime, stressing that the massacres, violations, and humiliations committed against residents and martyrs will not go unpunished.
In a statement issued today to public opinion, the Autonomous Administration said that the two neighborhoods were subjected on January 6, 2026, to a wide-scale military attack that lasted six days, carried out by factions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian interim government, with Turkish support and the participation of armed groups, including elements of ISIS, according to the statement.
It added that the attack targeted two residential neighborhoods using heavy weapons against individual firearms, describing it as an unequal battle that violated humanitarian values and the rules of war, and resulted in the martyrdom of members of the Internal Security Forces while defending civilians.
The statement emphasized that the armed factions’ control over the two neighborhoods cannot be considered a victory, but rather a crime and a mark of shame, accusing those forces of committing grave violations, including mutilation of bodies, humiliation, war crimes, and acts of ethnic cleansing and demographic change.
The Autonomous Administration called on international, human rights, and humanitarian organizations to assume their responsibilities, visit the two neighborhoods, and document the violations, demanding the deployment of an international force to protect civilians, citing a lack of trust in the current security forces.
It also called on the residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh to remain in their homes and urged displaced people to return, affirming its commitment to mobilizing its capabilities to mitigate the consequences of the events and to stand by the population under all circumstances.
