Ceasefire Breached: Drone Strikes Target Kurdish Area as Besieged Kobani Faces 'Catastrophe'

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A new aerial attack using suicide drones has struck the countryside of Karkey Laki in western Kurdistan (Northeast Syria), underscoring continued violations of the ceasefire agreement as Kobani remains under a tightening siege and faces increasingly severe humanitarian conditions.

The Media Center of the Syrian Democratic Forces announced that forces affiliated with Damascus carried out an aerial attack targeting the village of Qeri, administratively linked to the city of Karkey Laki (Ma‘bada). According to the statement, three suicide drones were used in the assault, marking what was described as a clear and repeated breach of the recently concluded ceasefire agreement.

Initial information indicated that the attack resulted in material damage to civilian property and targeted areas, with no human casualties reported at the time of preparing the report.

The drone strike coincided with similar attacks reported on other fronts in the Kobani countryside, indicating a pattern of escalation that undermines ceasefire understandings and threatens the security of inhabited areas.

In parallel, the joint presidency of the Autonomous Administration in Kobani warned that the city is experiencing a suffocating siege under extremely dangerous humanitarian conditions. In a statement to Kurdistan24, Farhan Haji Issa, Co-Chair of the Autonomous Administration in Kobani, said that the city is completely besieged and that forces affiliated with Damascus, positioned on the southern front, have violated the ceasefire agreement.

“Kobani is fully besieged, and the forces affiliated with Damascus stationed in the south have breached the ceasefire,” Issa said.

He noted that schools and mosques inside the city have become overcrowded with thousands of displaced people who fled surrounding areas, as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

Issa sought to reassure the Kurdish public, stating: “Let everyone know, and we affirm to every Kurdistani, that we will remain here and defend our land until the last drop of blood in our veins.”

He added that only a very limited portion of aid has reached the city, stressing that “the words and actions of Damascus do not match on the ground,” a situation he said places civilian lives at serious risk.

According to the information provided, Kobani and its countryside are under a strict siege imposed by Syrian government forces and affiliated armed groups following the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces from several positions and the stalling of political negotiations. The siege has led to a complete cutoff of basic services, including water, electricity, internet, and communication networks.

Human rights organizations, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, have warned of a “major humanitarian catastrophe,” citing acute shortages of food, medicine, and infant formula. The crisis has been exacerbated by severe cold and heavy snowfall described as unprecedented in fifty years, leaving displaced families sheltering in public buildings and open areas under harsh conditions.

At the same time, diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire and opening safe humanitarian corridors are ongoing. In this context, charitable organizations in the Kurdistan Region, led by the Barzani Charity Foundation, have launched extensive aid collection campaigns and are awaiting the securing of international routes to deliver assistance to those besieged in Kobani.

As drone attacks continue in the Karkey Laki countryside and Kobani endures a tightening siege, persistent ceasefire violations and mounting humanitarian pressures are deepening the risks facing civilians across western Kurdistan.