Syrian Army Declares Sheikh Maqsud Closed Military Zone as Curfew Imposed

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood was declared a closed military zone as Syrian army statements announced a full curfew and safety warnings for civilians, while Kurdish security forces accused Damascus of placing a civilian hospital on an announced targeting map, describing it as documented proof of criminal intent.

In statements carried by state media SANA, the Operations Body of the Syrian Arab Army announced that Sheikh Maqsud has been designated a closed military zone. The body also declared a complete curfew in the neighborhood starting at 6:30 p.m. and continuing until further notice.

The same statement urged civilians inside the neighborhood to stay away from windows, move to lower floors, and avoid approaching locations associated with the SDF organization.

At the same time, the Internal Security Forces in Aleppo issued a statement addressed to public opinion regarding the targeting of a hospital in Sheikh Maqsud. The statement said the so-called Ministry of Defense in the Damascus government published a new map claiming to identify sites to be shelled in the neighborhood, including the civilian Khalid Fajr Hospital, which it said had been subjected to four consecutive artillery strikes since the previous day.

The Internal Security Forces said the inclusion of a civilian medical facility on a publicly announced targeting map constitutes conclusive and documented evidence of prior criminal intent and amounts to a full-fledged war crime and a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits targeting medical facilities under any pretext. The statement held the Damascus government and its affiliates fully and directly responsible for any harm to civilians, medical facilities, or civilian infrastructure, and said the announcement should be viewed as documented legal evidence of premeditated planning to commit massacres and serious violations against civilians.

Responding to the publication of the map marking several locations in red and warning of their shelling in Sheikh Maqsud, Farhad Shami, Head of the SDF Media Center, said armed factions affiliated with the Damascus government, including the militias al-Amshat, al-Hamzat, and Nour al-Din al-Zenki, carried out two attempted incursions into the Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood from the Wadi al-Zaytoun axis with direct support from tanks and heavy weapons.

“Internal Security Forces successfully thwarted both attempts and repelled the attack, forcing the attacking factions to retreat and withdraw from the axis,” Shami said. He added that Sheikh Maqsud continues to be subjected to ongoing artillery shelling for the fourth consecutive day by factions affiliated with the Damascus government.

According to information provided, civilian casualties have continued to rise in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, with at least 23 civilians killed and nearly 100 wounded over the past three days amid intensified fighting. Reports said the deadliest incident occurred on Thursday evening when Syrian Arab Army shelling struck a civilian home in Sheikh Maqsud, killing six members of the same family, including three children.

Two hospital employees were also killed in separate attacks, bringing the confirmed civilian death toll from Thursday alone to eight. Overall fatalities linked to the clashes since the fighting began were reported to have reached 116.

Those killed in the residential attack were named as Amin Rasho, Zainab Amin Rasho, Sharwin Hassan, Nura Rasho, Amin Rasho, and Mira Rasho. The mother, Nura Hassan, survived but sustained serious injuries and was transferred to Khalid Fajr Hospital.

Medical services in the area have collapsed, with Khalid Fajr Hospital, the only functioning medical facility serving the two neighborhoods, rendered completely out of service following repeated bombardment. Dozens of wounded civilians have been left without access to treatment.

Amid continued shelling, the governing council of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafieh announced it would not evacuate the area, saying heavy weapons had been used against homes, schools, mosques, and service centers. The council warned that the rising death toll reflects deliberate targeting of civilians.

Humanitarian groups and Kurdish organizations appealed for urgent international intervention, warning that the absence of a hospital, continued shelling, and winter conditions could lead to further civilian losses if fighting does not stop.

As curfews, strike warnings, and ground clashes converge in Sheikh Maqsud, civilian neighborhoods remain under fire while local forces and councils warn that the targeting of medical facilities marks a dangerous escalation.