Widespread Violations in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Include Looting and Summary Executions

Operations of looting and theft of residents’ homes and properties continue in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo city, following the displacement of their inhabitants as a result of the recent attacks launched by mercenaries of the transitional government backed by the Turkish occupation.

Eyewitnesses reported the occurrence of summary executions against a number of residents inside the two neighborhoods, among them the young man “Basil,” amid the ongoing violations committed by the mercenaries against civilians.

Mercenaries of the transitional government also raised the flag of the Turkish occupation over the former Internal Security point on Salah al-Din Street, in addition to a number of council institutions within the two neighborhoods, according to local sources.

In the humanitarian context, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed the displacement of more than 1,229 people, including 298 children, from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods to host communities and collective shelter centers in cities of northern and eastern Syria since 11 December of the current month.

For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that approximately 120,000 people remain displaced as a result of the attacks targeting Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and difficulties preventing residents from returning to their homes.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Organization – Afrin announced that the number of missing persons as a result of the attacks has exceeded 500, warning of serious risks threatening the lives of civilians and the fate of the missing amid the continuation of violations.