Statement to Public Opinion

The Democratic Autonomous-Administration of North and East Syria follows with great concern and condemnation the dangerous escalation, violations, and ongoing attacks targeting the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo. These attacks are carried out by factions affiliated with the Syrian transitional government in a systematic criminal manner directly targeting unarmed civilians.
The inability of these factions to achieve any military progress on the ground has led them to adopt a policy of random and deliberate shelling, using heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery, targeting residential areas, hospitals, and service facilities. This is a flagrant violation of all international laws, norms, and humanitarian conventions, disregarding even the most basic principles of civilian protection during conflicts.
We affirm that the repeated targeting of hospitals and health centers in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, which has occurred multiple times, cannot be considered an incidental or military error. It is a deliberate act aimed at paralyzing life in the neighborhoods and depriving the residents of their right to treatment and healthcare. This clearly exposes the criminal nature of these attacks.
The continuation of these crimes and serious violations threatens to commit massacres against civilians and constitutes war crimes and crimes of genocide, particularly with the participation of groups carrying the symbols and ideologies of the terrorist ISIS organization. This confirms that these attacks are nothing but an extension of the same terrorist approach in different forms and methods.
We hold the Turkish state directly responsible for these crimes due to its support and facilitation of these factions, as part of its policies aimed at destabilizing the region and undermining the will of free peoples, as well as seeking revenge against areas that played a prominent role in resisting terrorism and defending human values.
In this context, we express our highest respect and admiration for our steadfast people in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, for the heroes of the Internal Security Forces, and for all the resisting forces who courageously defend civilians and protect their dignity in the face of this brutal aggression. They are writing the finest pages of resilience and national unity.
We also issue an urgent call to the Syrian people of all components, to all free peoples, and to democratic forces around the world, to stand in solidarity with our people in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh. Support their steadfastness and legitimate resistance against these criminal attacks, and take a clear and firm stance against the crimes being committed against civilians.
We call on the international community, and all international and human rights organizations and institutions, to intervene immediately to put an end to these violations, block the perpetrators’ path, and hold them accountable under international law. They must be prevented from continuing to shell residential areas and committing massacres against a defenseless population that has been, and continues to be, at the forefront of resisting terrorism and defending humanity as a whole.
Finally, we commemorate the souls of the martyrs of the resistance who fell defending their land and the dignity of their people. We renew our pledge to follow in their footsteps, and we wish a speedy recovery to the wounded, and patience and solace to the families of the martyrs. We affirm that the will to live and resist is stronger than any attempts at genocide and aggression.
Democratic Autonomous-Administration of North and East Syria
9/1/2026