ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday accused Islamist-led rebels of launching “a large-scale kidnapping” campaign against civilians in Aleppo's northern predominantly Kurdish neighborhood of Shahba’a, days after the rebels seized the country's second-largest and commercial hub city in a major offensive against the Damascus regime's forces.
Labeling them as “Turkish-backed mercenaries,” the US-backed SDF said in a statement on social media platform X that the armed opposition factions led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have “launched a large-scale kidnapping and enslavement campaign against civilians besieged in the Shahba’a region, north of Aleppo.”
The SDF added, “Over 120 vehicles carrying hundreds of civilians, who were attempting to evacuate to areas in north and eastern Syria, were abducted and taken to unknown destinations.”
Soon after they captured Aleppo, the HTS said in a statement that they would not harm civilians, including the city’s Kurdish residents.
“We are fighting the criminal [Bashar al-]Assad regime and pushing Iranian militias away from our cities and villages to ensure the safety of our people and their peaceful return,” the HTS had said in a statement, emphasizing that Kurds were "an integral part of the nation", pledging to protect Kurdish communities in Aleppo, including the Kurdish-majority neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud, and ensure their rights and security.
The SDF, however, said the rebel groups "obstructed a previously agreed-upon civilian evacuation.”
“Furthermore, with the aim of enslavement, these groups have detained over fifteen thousand civilians and abducted a larger number of them. The besieged civilians are enduring harsh conditions, facing starvation and water shortages,” the SDF wrote.
Fighting has intensified across northern Syria as armed opposition factions led by HTS, the Kurdish-led SDF, and the Syrian government vie for strategic positions in an increasingly volatile conflict since last week.
The Syrian opposition coalition Military Operations Command, led by the HTS, on Thursday announced they had taken over the central city of Hama after days of intense clashes with the Syrian army and allied forces. It is the third major city the groups have seized since the start of the campaign eight days ago.
In northern Aleppo, US forces have reportedly advised the SDF against engaging in battles with Turkish-backed forces or using coalition-supplied weapons in conflicts with Turkey or its allies. An agreement brokered by US and Turkish officials has reportedly resulted in Kurdish forces withdrawing from Aleppo and its northern countryside to areas east of the Euphrates River.
Parallel to the HTS attack, Turkey-backed rebel groups on Sunday seized Tal Rifaat, a town north of Aleppo, and the surrounding villages from the SDF. Tal Rifaat lies just outside Turkey's "security zone”.
The US-backed Kurdish forces are in control of a large swathe of territory across the northeastern and eastern regions of Syria, amounting to a quarter territory of the country. Formed in 2015, the SDF is considered the Kurdish de facto army.
The recent upsurge in violence in Syria has so far claimed the lives of over 700 people, according to a war monitor.
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