75,000 people have been displaced from Aleppo and its neighbouring areas, as the attack by Turkish-backed Jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rages on.
Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud (Şêx Maqsud) and Ashrafieh (Eşrefîye) neighbourhoods are under siege by HTS, alongside the villages of Nubl and al-Zahraa in the district of Shahba. Kurdish and Yazidi people are reportedly being singled out.
Local news agencies are reporting that at least 200,000 have been displaced from the Shahba region.
Thousands are currently without shelter, in freezing conditions. The Rojava Information Centre (RIC) has pointed out that there is an urgent need for humanitarian relief. The Kurdish Red Crescent (Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê) is currently mobilising to raise funds for those affected.
Fighting in Deir ez-Zor, and imminent threat of an attack on Manbij
RIC also warns that there is an imminent risk of a Turkish-backed attack on Manbij (Minbic), which is governed by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
In related developments, the SDF has begun operations against the pro-Assad Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and Iran backed militias in the Deir ez-Zor region. The Kurdish-led defence forces are being backed in these operations by the US-led coalition. Fighting is ongoing, and at least one SDF member and one civilian have been killed. The SDF say that their operation is linked to the events in western Syria, and the threat from ISIS.
Nabl and al-Zahraa
Media sources are publishing footage of the mass exodus from the villages of Nubl and al-Zahraa, as people flee from HTS attacks. Rojava Watch shared a video showing the displacements on social media platform X:
“Due to the attacks of jihadist gangs, the people living in Nubl and al-Zahraa have been walking towards the desert for three days without food or water,” Rojava Watch explained.
“It is claimed that more than ten children and the elderly lost their lives due to the cold,” they reported.
Shahba/Tel Rifaat region
Tens of thousands of people have now been evacuated from the Shahba/Tel Rifaat region, to Tabqa and Raqqa to the southeast. Tel Rifaat was seized earlier this week by Turkish-affiliated Syrian National Army (SNA) forces. The SNA has already pushed out much of the Kurdish population, and all of the Yazidis and Christians, from neighbouring Afrin after the occupation by Turkey and allied forces in 2018.
RIC reports that reception centres have been established to host refugees in Tabqa and Raqqa, in schools, gymnasiums and other public buildings. Buses will be deployed from Tabqa, in an effort to assist more refugees from Shahba. Many displaced people have arrived needing medical attention, after being injured by SNA forces.
According to Muhammad Sheikho, co-chair of Afrin and Shahba Council: “The IDPs who have arrived have been sleeping outside for the past 48-72 hours. There is no room for them, until shelter has been set up. Others have been unable to leave, and there’s no information from them, while others are stuck on the way here, as their cars have broken down. All AANES hospitals have been directed to offer care for free, but there remains an urgent need for medical support, particularly due to the extreme cold.”
At least three civilians have been shot dead by SNA forces while attempting to flee, and many are reporting experiences of robbery and extortion.
