Syrian transitional government forces carried out raids on homes in the Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud (Şêxmeqsûd) in Aleppo.

 

Some people were detained during the raids by government forces who also conducted searches in the houses they targeted. The actions caused fear and tension in the neighborhood. Residents called for an end to such practices and expressed their reaction to civilians being targeted.

 

The Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyah (Eşrefiye) and Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo were targeted by a genocidal onslaught starting on January 6, 2026. The offensive by the Turkey-backed Syrian transitional government, which quickly expanded from Aleppo to other parts of northern and eastern Syria, marks a turning point for Rojava. The attacks specifically targeted the Kurdish population and their achievements. Tens of thousands of people were displaced, hundreds are reported to have been killed, and many others have been missing ever since.

 

According to the latest data from the General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, about 450,000 people lived in the two districts. A significant portion of them were people who had been forced to flee Afrin after the Turkish state’s attacks in 2018.

 

The offensive was followed by serious crimes and repression against the civilian population. While the fate of thousands of abducted Kurds remains unknown, local sources report mass graves containing hundreds of bodies, reportedly of the civilians targeted during the offensive.