SDF Commander: Kurdish Neighborhood Resistance "Dismantling Enemy Plans" Amid Hospital Strike
SDF General Command member Sipan Hamo said the resistance of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh is dismantling enemy plans, as clashes continue, militias shell residential areas, and a drone attack disables a civilian hospital.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As fighting escalated around Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods, Sipan Hamo declared that the resistance of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh has become a defining force capable of breaking hostile plans, while reaffirming continued support for civilians amid heavy shelling, ongoing clashes, and attacks on medical facilities.
On Friday, Sipan Hamo, a member of the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said in a video message addressing the attacks on the city of Aleppo that fierce and unprecedented assaults had been launched against the Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods on Jan. 5 and 6.
Hamo stated that although SDF forces withdrew from Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh in April, they continue to provide full support to the resistance of the population and the security of the two neighborhoods, and remain ready to offer all necessary assistance if required.
He emphasized that the resistance of the residents of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh has become a culture, noting that whenever the names of the two neighborhoods are mentioned, resistance is immediately associated with them. He expressed confidence that this resistance is capable of dismantling the plans of the enemy.
Clarifying the presence of SDF forces in the area, Hamo said, “As you know, according to the April 1 agreement, we withdrew our forces from these neighborhoods and handed over the responsibility of protection to the civil council and internal security forces.”
The SDF commander stressed, “We fully support the statement of the neighborhood council that insists on staying and defending. Within this framework, from anywhere it is necessary, we as the SDF are ready to assist them.”
In his message, Hamo reassured residents, saying there is no force capable of expelling the people of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh from their land and homes, adding that they will continue to safeguard their neighborhoods and properties.
He also warned against what he described as a media propaganda war targeting residents, urging people not to listen to propaganda, and stating that the resistance of civilians and fighters would nullify all schemes and maneuvers, ultimately leading to victory for the Kurdish people.
In a simultaneous update and according to the Aleppo Internal Security Forces Media Center, their fighters targeted a large gathering of "factions and militias affiliated with the Damascus government" in the vicinity of the Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood, resulting in confirmed injuries among their ranks and they also confirmed that the clashes continue intensely amid heavy and sustained shelling carried out by those militias against all residential gatherings within the neighborhood, including hospitals and service institutions.
Another update reported that, as part of what were described as brutal attacks, a drone belonging to "militias affiliated with the Damascus government" targeted the civilian Khaled Fajr Hospital in the Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood, putting the facility out of service.
As violence persists around Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh, statements from SDF leadership and security updates on the ground underscore a conflict marked by sustained resistance, escalating military pressure, and growing risks to civilians and vital services.