DEM Party Urges Immediate Halt to Aleppo Attacks, Warns of Regional Fallout
Speaking at a news conference, the two leaders condemned the Syrian Arab Army’s operations in the neighborhoods and urged the international community to assume its responsibility to protect civilians.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The co-chairs of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Tulay Hatimogullari and Tuncer Bakirhan, on Sunday called for an immediate end to attacks targeting the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, warning that continued violence threatens civilian lives and broader peace efforts.
Speaking at a news conference, the two leaders condemned the Syrian Arab Army’s operations in the neighborhoods and urged the international community to assume its responsibility to protect civilians. They stressed that the escalation risks destabilizing not only northern Syria but also ongoing political processes in the region.
Bakirhan warned that the violence in Aleppo could undermine peace initiatives in Turkey, arguing that there is a deliberate effort to derail dialogue. He called for Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) officials to be invited to Ankara for talks, emphasizing that political dialogue—not military pressure—is the only viable path toward a sustainable solution.
He also criticized remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, saying diplomacy cannot be pursued through threats. “Peace requires dialogue and negotiation,” Bakirhan said, adding that hostile rhetoric risks weakening prospects for peace in Syria.
Hatimogullari, meanwhile, said international actors must not remain silent in the face of what he described as crimes against civilians. He characterized the resistance in Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh as a pivotal moment for the future of democracy in Syria, claiming that the attacks were carried out by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and affiliated armed groups operating under the banner of an interim administration.
“Silence is complicity,” Hatimogullari said, warning that Aleppo must not be allowed to face the same devastation seen in other conflict zones. He argued that the attacks aim to isolate Syria’s Kurdish population and contradict the principles of coexistence among the country’s communities.
Both co-chairs called on Turkey to prioritize dialogue over confrontation in Syria and demanded a permanent ceasefire in Aleppo.
Recent clashes between Kurdish internal security forces and the Syrian Arab Army in Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh have reportedly killed dozens of civilians and displaced more than 155,000 people, according to local sources.