Civilian Deaths and Injuries as Heavy Shelling Renews in Kurdish Aleppo

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The sound of heavy artillery and rockets once again echoed across northern Aleppo as intense shelling struck the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zaid, killing and wounding civilians and causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure in what residents described as one of the most violent escalations in recent weeks.

According to information released from the Internal Security Forces (Asayish), "factions affiliated with the Damascus government launched a renewed assault using tanks and heavy artillery, targeting residential areas in Ashrafiyeh and the surroundings of al-Sharqi Mosque, alongside reports of tank deployments around the area." The attacks marked a dangerous escalation that directly threatened civilian lives.

The shelling expanded to include all forms of heavy weaponry, including tanks, heavy artillery, Grad and Katyusha rocket launchers, mortar shells, and various types of DShK machine guns. The attacks struck Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zaid, neighborhoods that together are home to more than 600,000 civilians.

Large parts of the three neighborhoods came under intense fire, particularly areas including Maghsalat al-Jazira, Farouj Ammar, al-Hassan Mosque, the Grand Sheikh Maqsoud Mosque, Furniture Street in Ashrafiyeh, Fifteenth Street, Twentieth Street, Martyrs Square, al-Shaqif, the Youth Housing area, and the Ma’ruf neighborhood. Dozens of homes and buildings sustained severe damage after shells and rockets landed directly on residential structures.

The bombardment resulted in the deaths of four civilians, including two women and one child. Those killed were identified as Fatima Hamada, aged forty-one, Masoud Faiq Abdo, aged thirty, and George Khawam, aged forty-two.

A total of twenty-six civilians were reported wounded, including children, elderly residents, and young adults.

In response, Internal Security Forces stated that they acted within what they described as their legitimate right to defend the neighborhoods. The forces said they repelled all attacks and thwarted five attempted infiltrations into the residential areas, adding that their response resulted in casualties among the attacking factions.

Following the exchanges, a fragile calm settled over Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zaid for nearly two hours. The pause was short-lived, however, as shelling resumed, with renewed use of artillery, tanks, and rocket launchers targeting the three neighborhoods once again.

The escalation comes amid a series of conflicting statements from Kurdish Internal Security Forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Syrian government institutions following earlier incidents around Sheikh Maqsoud.

The Kurdish Internal Security Forces in Aleppo previously said the neighborhood had been targeted four times within twenty-four hours by armed factions affiliated with the Syrian interim Ministry of Defense, resulting in one civilian death, injuries to two others, and significant property damage. The force said it responded “within the framework of legitimate self-defense,” describing the attacks as a breach of existing truces and agreements aimed at protecting civilians.

Syrian state media, citing the Ministry of Interior, later reported that one member of the Syrian Arab Army was killed and others wounded after the SDF targeted army positions near Sheikh Maqsoud using drones. In a separate report, Syrian Arab News Agency said three civilians, including two women, were killed in what it described as SDF shelling of residential buildings in Aleppo’s al-Midan neighborhood.

The Directorate of Information in Aleppo also accused the SDF of targeting the area near Sheihan Roundabout, killing one Ministry of Defense member and wounding three others, describing the incident as a new violation of agreements with the Syrian government.

The SDF, for its part, said factions known as “al-Amshat,” affiliated with the Damascus government, were shelling densely populated areas in Deir Hafir district and Tal Saryatel near Tishrin Dam using mortars, heavy weapons, and so-called suicide drones, causing damage to electricity networks. The SDF described the actions as a “planned escalation” and reaffirmed what it called its legitimate right to respond in defense of civilians and regional stability. It also said a shell intended for Sheikh Maqsoud veered off course and landed in al-Midan neighborhood, characterizing the incident as indiscriminate shelling that endangered civilian lives.

As heavy weapons continue to strike densely populated neighborhoods and civilian casualties mount, the renewed violence in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zaid underscores the fragility of security arrangements in Aleppo and the growing toll on civilians caught in the crossfire.